The Pygmalion Effect
by flying metal child
Summary: Complete! Things are getting dark and twisted. Kazahaya has a vision of himself and Rikuo as lovers. Is the vision self fulfilling or is it Fate's will that the two should be together despite the obstacles in their paths?
1. Chapter 1

AN: My first _Legal Drug_ story, hopefully a good contribution to this growing section. Rating is M for strong sexual themes, especially in later chapters.

_The Pygmalion Effect_

Chapter 1

The alley behind the Green Drugstore was not particularly special. The roughly paved road was mainly used for deliveries; sometimes a rogue car or walker happened to find the path. It didn't matter if it was a well manicured alley or that the stores stuck to it were respected by the community...alleys were creepy. Even in daylight...maybe especially in daylight.

Kazahaya stood at the back door of the drugstore in the sweltering heat of summer. It was only ten in the morning, yet the air was already acrid with asphalt smelling steam. The heat stuck to him like a bad bandage, slimy and gluey. He just wanted to go back into the air conditioned store, even if Rikuo, Mr. Know-It-All-Employee-of-the-Month, was always hovering over his every move. But _no_. Kakei the store owner was making him wait for the morning's delivery of assorted stuff. Lip balm, condoms, aspirin, "girly" products, lotion, prescription drugs, various trinkets, etcetera. The very word "drugstore" conjured eclectic images of an ancient apothecary with mortar and pestle and drawers of herbs and spices. Kazahaya dreamily thought of the smells of such a place and was pulled from them quickly when he saw the shipping truck pull up. He greeted the driver, signed for the packages, and began helping the driver unload the shipment. _Lucky Rikuo_, Kazahaya thought. Imagine that Kazahaya had only been waiting outside for a mere six minutes...the sun had boiled the juices in his brain already...now he was actually doing work...he felt very faint and sick with heat.

"Well, thanks for your help," the driver said with a curt bow. Kazahaya nodded in a stupor. _Yeah, now I think I'll go lie down_.

The sudden thrust of Kazahaya's heated body into the super chilled store made him reel. The sweat trickled down his back and cascaded into his pants via his spine. He scratched the tickling feeling and went to find Kakei. Now those damn packages he unloaded needed to be checked over to make sure everything Kakei had ordered had actually arrived in good condition! So much for taking a rest.

Kakei was taking stock in the storage room, as was usual on a day like this. Everything needed to be organized per his boss' meticulous management.

"Kakei-san, the shipment is in the back. Are you ready for it?" Kakei sighed and looked at his clipboard.

"I suppose," he answered wearily. He did not look at Kazahaya, a gesture that indicated something was amiss. Kakei, so beautiful with his limitless supply of arousing stares and smiles...he simply looked depressed.

"Kakei...san?"

Kakei said curtly. " Go find Rikuo, Kazahaya, and you two bring the shipment in here. Saiga and I will do inventory later." With a small nod, Kazahaya backed away from his boss. He felt the sting of his glare even when he was concealed behind heavy shelves.

Kazahaya could simply touch something and sense it's residue of life and use...sometimes he could run his hands over a never-ending fence and glean children's faces, old branches cut away from the path of walkers, someone fell here and scraped her knee. He could run his hands over the shelves in Green Drugstore and find Kakei's imprint. If only he could touch Kakei now and find the source of this sudden mood change.

Kazahaya heard Rikuo before he saw him. He heard the shuffling of feet as they moved from one display to another inching dangerously close to Rikuo but only to be rejected. Kazahaya rounded an aisle to see Rikuo's back turned to a group of school young girls who frequented the store. Clearly they were disappointed in his lack of interest, but they were not defeated yet. They would come back like they always did, and momentarily deterred they walked away hoping Rikuo would give them a backwards glance.

"Rikuo," Kazahaya caught his attention much to the chagrin of the girls. "Kakei-san wants us to bring the new shipment into storage." Rikuo whipped his hair across his face in a vain attempt to get it out of the way. Kazahaya smirked but caught his growing smile before Rikuo could see. Rikuo saw the slight grin regardless, but did not wonder why his smaller companion smiled because he was such a naïf and was always unable to control his emotions. Who knew why he did the weird things he did. For a moment Rikuo let his gaze stay on Kazahaya, on his golden brown hair glinting under the harsh florescent light. Not even that discoloring light could disfigure anything about Kazahaya. He existed somewhere between sacred and profane. Here he was, ethereal in his beauty but mortal; the ravages of time, bad days, not-so-good missions, and everything in between would come over him like a deluge. There were scars already, not in body, but in mind. Nothing kept Rikuo or Kazahaya in line but the mission...finding their respective losses. Kei and Tsukiko. Who were they? Neither knew much of the other, yet Rikuo knew more about Kei, Kazahaya's sister, and Kazahaya knew even less about Tsukiko.

No one ever answered Kazahaya's questions.

Kazahaya was afraid to touch Rikuo.

What would...could...he find?

The blood sickened him.

The boxes were stacked neatly in storage. Neither Kazahaya nor Rikuo had said much of anything, save a few attempts from Kazahaya to make conversation. Tired and dirty feeling, Kazahaya was glad when Kakei called it a day. There was something deeper in his voice, something fearful, when Kakei called Rikuo into his office.

_Damn_, Kazahaya thought, _another mission and it's going to Rikuo. Whatever, I don't feel like bitching about it._ Instinctively, perhaps playfully spiteful, Rikuo gave a quick smirk with a "humph" in Kazahaya's direction, a smirk that melted into a grin when Kazahaya pouted angrily and kicked a box packed with colorful nail polish. _Ah_, Kazahaya groaned. _Glad I didn't damage the box too badly...maybe...maybe that's why Kakei...no, if he hadn't wanted his stuff to get broken he would have warned me not to kick the damn box._

_Stupid Rikuo._

--

What had taken Rikuo so long? Why had it taken almost two hours for Kakei to give Rikuo his assignment? Usually Kakei told them what to do and that was that. This time Kazahaya got the feeling that something was being hidden from him. In the back of his mind, like a memory, Kazahaya remembered his childhood...Kei. Secrets were not allowed. They were open and free.

Rikuo suddenly appeared through the door of their shared apartment, his mouth watering at the meal Kazahaya had made an hour earlier. It didn't matter that it was cold and that the smell was gone, the mere sight of it on the table made him ravenous. He looked at Kazahaya who was looking at him suspiciously.

"What? Did you poison the food?" he asked as he grabbed a plate and began digging in.

"I did, actually," Kazahaya said cautiously, yet playfully after Rikuo had swallowed his first bite.

"How long do I have before I die?" Rikuo asked rather seriously. "And where's my evening newspaper?"

Kazahaya tenderly walked over to the table and sat with Rikuo. He laughed a sputtering and impulsive laugh, saying very quickly, "I_kinda_threwitoutaccidentally...heh."

Rikuo chewed and swallowed. "Idiot," he muttered.

"Hey! It's not _my_ fault you're so messy."

"Sorry Rikuo."

"It's just a newspaper." Kazahaya looked into Rikuo's eyes, unconsciously probing their dark green liquid depth for something more, a harsher reprimand that he wanted...a cruel reprimand...Rikuo hurting him...a different kind of blood...Kazahaya gasped and jerked his hand from Rikuo who had placed his hand over Kazahaya's in an unusually friendly gesture. Rikuo's dark brows knitted in confusion and then lifted knowingly.

Menacing and low, he asked, "What did you see?"

Kazahaya held his hand to his chest. "Kazahaya," Rikuo pressed, "what did you see?"

"I don't know...you..." he paused and felt a tingle go through his body. "You hurt me. I saw blood, but I wasn't afraid, I think. It was my blood." Rikuo made to move to Kazahaya, but the smaller boy pushed away from the table and knocked over his chair as he backed away from Rikuo's hand that both reached for him but continued to push him away. A sudden fear raced through Kazahaya madly, pumping his heart and making his veins distend painfully.

"Kazahaya," Rikuo said softly, "I won't hurt you."

He added when Kazahaya stopped his retreat. "You said you weren't afraid."

"I'm afraid now, Rikuo. Please don't..."

_Knock Knock!_

Saiga burst in the room grinning madly and rushed up to Kazahaya who was near to fainting with the swirling blood and Rikuo's vision crushing his senses.

"Hey beautiful," Saiga whispered into his ear. "Let's talk in private." Saiga gave Rikuo a reproachful look and wrapped his strong arm around Kazahaya's delicate waist. Rikuo's outstretched hand fell to his side. When the two were gone, he did the dishes silently, but the sick feeling that had settled in his gut when Kakei spoke to him earlier resurfaced.

Words clear and rational, yet irrational and unfathomable.

_I can no longer see Kazahaya's future..._

_I see nothing but the void..._

--

White, billowing steam wafted from the hot bath Kakei lay in. His glasses lay on the sink's counter, fogged and useless. It seemed that nature made sure Kakei realized the irony in such a mundane way. He saw the glasses as a blur. His own eyes were pathetic, as was his insight. The water could not relax Kakei like he thought it would, for it brought sad, watery visions of the future. How could one simply not see someone's future? Kakei groaned with the thought. Even if Kazahaya's fate was death, for some things could not be changed even with the help of a precognitive intercessor, then death would have been in Kakei's vision. He would have seen the manner of death, the pain or blissful release, who was with him, felt his last breath...but this was nothingness. A void.

_Is death a kind of void? I have seen death in my visions, but it was never so empty..._

_Perhaps Kazahaya has become more powerful than my senses can detect, like Tsukiko_.

_I must focus my mind._

Kakei let his body slip into the water until his nostrils hit the top of the water with only enough room for a few molecules of oxygen to slip into his lungs. The steam fogged his glasses. His white, creamy body was turning pink in the hot stew; he could feel his skin tinged. Just when his eyes drifted to close, to think about Kazahaya and the void, the door to the bath opened slowly and Saiga drifted in wearily.

Kakei had already smelled Saiga's cigarette before he even entered the room.

"You know," Saiga said, "I think you ordered too much stuff for the store this time around. I'm gonna be sore in the morning." Kakei smiled under the water before surfacing to see Saiga undressing in the most languid way possible.

"You're doing _it_ again, Saiga."

"Eh?" Saiga let his last garment fall to the white tiled floor.

"Being accidentally seductive." Saiga chuckled heartily and stepped into the bath, drawing Kakei to him and kissing his wet cheek. Kakei slid his hands into Saiga's hair then trailed them down his face to lift the sunglasses away and touch his closed and heavily lashed eyes. They remained closed as Kakei kissed each gently, each precious to Kakei.

Saiga moaned, almost a whisper, but let the sound melt into words. "I talked to Kazahaya."

"Tell me." Kakei slipped his hands under Saiga's arms and lay on his chest. The water sloshed carelessly around his straddled legs and under his body, between every crack and pore. More than aroused, Saiga cupped his lover's member and stroked it slowly, building a friction but letting it die by taking his hand away. Save it for later, Kakei had said once.

Kakei smiled into Saiga's chest. "Well, tell me what you said if you're not going to jerk around."

"Hmm. You were right, of course. Damn Rikuo and him were about to have it out. I think Kazahaya would've jumped out of the window to get away from Rikuo. He was shivering when I got him in the next room. Hell knows what he saw because he wouldn't tell me. You still haven't been able to see anything? No. Well, I made my excuse for barging in and told Kaza that he had the day off tomorrow."

"Good. That does mean _you_ will have to fill in for him." Saiga pouted. Kakei frowned at Saiga's childish, pouting expression. His eyes were still closed, but the moisture that had collected on his lashes made him more delicious.

Kakei chuckled. "Don't worry, I will work with you, love. Be patient. I have Rikuo doing some assignments and I've told him that I can't see Kazahaya's future. We discussed it at length, actually. Strange. My visions have only seen Rikuo. I thought if I sent Kazahaya on a mission that I would see him through visions of Rikuo, but I haven't. The last mission they were on...I saw Rikuo, but he was attended by a darkness that consumed light. It was Kazahaya, and now...I don't know."

"It'll work out."

"Mmm." Saiga suddenly muttered something that sounded like "shit" under his breath.

"What did you—?"

The door burst open to Kazahaya crying. He held his hands open and in front of him, as if in offering to the beautiful creatures in the bath. Instantly he ran forward and fell against the porcelain bath to reach for Kakei, his blessed savior. Kakei cradled the boy as much as he could, being naked and in a tub of water.

"What's wrong Kazahaya?" _I'm getting his hair wet_, Kakei thought.

"Kakei...san...Saiga...I...blood...I _hurt_." He sobbed violently and cried out with the vision's impression still in his mind.

"What did you touch?" Saiga asked as he slipped from under Kakei and stepped out of the bath. He pulled on his robe (always at hand in this bathroom) replaced his sunglasses and slouched next to Kazahaya carefully to give him comfort while Kakei pushed away and got out as well. Kazahaya looked up at Kakei's naked and wet body before it was concealed by a white silk robe, the covering nature of which was made useless by the wet skin underneath. It clung to him and showed every curve and hidden part of his body. A blush rose to Kazahaya's cheeks and pulled him from his frantic state, as did the physical anchors of Saiga and Kakei touching him.

Kakei held Kazahaya's waist lovingly.

He choked on a sob, but managed a few words. "I touched Rikuo."

--

Rikuo was unimpressed. Saiga was trying to stare him down, but the effect of his gaze was minimalized by his dark sunglasses. This would have been amusing if the situation wasn't so grave. Kazahaya had touched him accidentally during the night. Something about stumbling in the dark to go to the bathroom. Crossed paths. He hadn't meant to touch him. The vision from earlier was almost forgotten, but it doubled up from that innocent bump of shoulders. It took Kazahaya's feet from under him but Rikuo could see in the dark better because he had been in it longer, so he saw him fall...caught him...carried him to his unmade bed.

If the simple touch of shoulders had made Kazahaya faint, imagine what effect Rikuo's prolonged touch had on him. Kazahaya woke to find Rikuo staring down at him.

He felt sick.

Sick sick sick. And the pain and the little bit of blood on his fingers. Kazahaya had looked at his hands to see the sticky redness, but it was no longer there, simply the vision's terrible cruelty mocking his consciousness.

"And then what happened?" Saiga asked.

"He freaked out and ran." Rikuo shrugged to indicate his indifference, but it annoyed Saiga's already strained patience. He hated when people feigned indifference.

"Don't...Rikuo. Don't be stupid." Saiga stood, his interrogation over. "If I find out you hurt Kazahaya--"

"I didn't _fucking_ touch him." Rikuo growled and met Saiga's stance. Their chests were close to touching and even though Saiga was stronger (probably, Rikuo assumed) he did not fear the man.

"I would _never_ hurt him," he added.

"Yeah?" Saiga smirked. "You'd never hurt him, couldn't tell from the way you treat him."

"I don't mistreat him, and since when does everyone think I owe him some kind of damn allegiance?"

Saiga stepped back to light a cigarette.

"Are you his friend?"

Rikuo glared. "I guess."

"But you flirt with him, so all you can say is 'I guess.''

"Flirt?" Saiga lifted a brow. Rikuo's body ordered him to blush, but his pride was able to control his body. He crossed his arms self-consciously and turned away from Saiga when he felt his resolve melt.

"I _may_ play with him from time to time."

"What are your intentions?"

"My intentions?"

Saiga clarified his question by giving Rikuo choices. "Do you mess around with him because you're a sadist or because you really like him? Do you do it because you want it to lead to something? Do you want to _fuck _him or make love to him?"

"That hadn't crossed my mind."

"You're a damn liar, Rikuo. Then let it cross your mind now." Saiga grinned deviously. "When you come up behind him and whisper in his ear, do you smell him?"

Smell him? It wasn't his fault Kazahaya smelled clean like soap. "I don't want to talk about this." Rikuo ended the conversation by leaving Kakei's office and leaving a very satisfied Saiga behind. He wasn't sure if it was safe to go upstairs to his bed yet, as Kakei was with Kazahaya.

Kazahaya. He didn't like Saiga's implications, but damn had he gotten to him. He would never hurt Kazahaya, and he would never use him cheaply for a one night stand, but he had lied about wanting to sleep with his friend. Though the thought had crossed his mind, it was usually when he was feeling aroused and only when he was inconveniently aroused, such as being near Kazahaya or like now when he was thinking about the well-being of Kazahaya.

The night was growing tired and morning threatened, as did nagging thoughts at the back of Rikuo's mind. Damn Saiga. _Yes_, he thought, _I flirt with Kazahaya, but it's meaningless. It's just fun to play with him because he gets upset so easily. What the hell is causing these visions of me hurting him? God my body itches for...no don't think that._

_Why can't Kakei fix this?_

--

Upstairs Kakei watched Kazahaya fall asleep. He thought it was ironic that he had given the boy the day off, for he would not be able to work anyway. It was possible that he could touch anything of Rikuo's, even a fingerprint on a bottle of asprin, and be sent into the dark place Kazahaya now feared.

_I've never been so scared and anxious of a vision_, he had said.

_For what it's worth, Kazahaya, me too_.

Kakei went downstairs to find Saiga snoozing in his office. He glanced around for Rikuo, but Rikuo found him first.

"Kakei?"

"Yes, Rikuo." He spun around gracefully to see Rikuo in the office door.

"How is he?" Kakei smiled wistfully.

"As well as can be expected. He's asleep."

"What did he say?" Kakei nodded negatively. "Nothing more than what's already been said."

"That's pretty damn cryptic."

"Are you getting smart with me, Rikuo?" Kakei looked him right in the eye, a look that was more threatening than anything Saiga could ever give.

"I don't like what I've heard. I would never hurt Kazahaya. Could he..." Rikuo suddenly became unsure and looked away from Kakei. "Could he be touching me and seeing my memories of Tsukiko? He keeps saying there is blood, and there was so much blood, _so much_." Kakei was silent for a moment before he walked to his desk and sat to relieve his aching feet.

"Kazahaya says there wasn't so much blood. It was his own and that it was you who caused it."

"You don't believe I would--"

"No, Rikuo, never. _Never_." Kakei put a pen in his mouth and began chewing on it. Rikuo wanted to laugh at such un-Kakei like behavior.

As if reading Rikuo's mind, Kakei said, "It's strange how Kazahaya has determined our behavior just by making us worry. Go to bed Rikuo. I'll open the shop later so we can all get some extra sleep—wait, before you go, I must ask you not to touch Kazahaya. Who knows what could happen."

Rikuo agreed, but thoughts were already forming in his mind when he entered the apartment. Rikuo instantly sought out Kazahaya and found him sleeping soundly, even though his body was lying for the unsound runaway dreams in his mind. He turned on the bedside light and saw Kazahaya's eyes twitch in unconscious reaction. His honey brown hair cascaded over his face as he moved to the offending light.

_I should wake him..._

_To make him upset..._

_To show that I really don't care._

Rikuo stretched his hand over Kazahaya to feel his aura as if he could actually do such a thing...if such a thing as an aura existed. Of course it did. Kazahaya's aura was naive and blue, soft, calming, wonderfully innocent, beautiful, loud, obnoxious, afraid, reckless, mysterious...God, he'd run out of adjectives simply describing Kazahaya.

_I could have passed over you like a bad memory, Kazahaya. I must care. I wouldn't have saved him on that cold day if I didn't care. It wasn't basic humanity that made me do it, maybe. He was so helpless. I was feeling something break, but he wasn't broken. I must care enough to make the sight of him send me over the edge._

"Rikuo...don't..." Rikuo gasped when he heard the small voice like a fragile bird.

_Damn, why did I turn on the light just so I could see you?_ Instead of turning tail and getting the hell out of the room, he stood frozen as he prepared to be caught by Kazahaya, but thankfully he remained asleep and continued to mumble softly through barely parted lips, "Rikuo don't." It was painful for Rikuo to hear such pain in Kazahaya's voice, and it pained him even more to hear his own name mixed with such ill sentiment.

Rikuo wanted to be out of this room and away from Kazahaya's overpowering presence.

"Rikuo." Kazahaya's hands dug into the sheets, his knuckles white and taut. Rikuo roused himself from his stupor and went to turn off the light to leave his friend to suffer in the dark, but he was stopped by one last heavily purred phrase from Kazahaya's pink, sweat moistened lips.

"Rikuo…_don't_…stop."

What! The sound of pain was now the sound of pleasure. Kazahaya's eyes flew open as if sensing the change in his voice and grabbed the nearest thing that caught his eye...Rikuo's wrist. It was strong, it burned, it was hot and sent Rikuo into instant stiffness, not only in his spine, but in his most sensitive places.

"Rikuo! What're you doing?" he asked sleepily when he saw the looming figure over him.

Rikuo said awkwardly, "You should let go of my arm. Kakei doesn't want us to touch."

Kazahaya let go reluctantly. "Were you watching—"

"Listen Kazahaya, whatever you dreamt is your business. I just came in here to check on you." Rikuo turned but was stopped by Kazahaya's plea to stay.

_Stay with me tonight. _

_I don't want to be alone_.

"I don't think that's a good idea...for both of us. You don't want to have anymore visions do you?"

"Well," Kazahaya looked at the white sheets of his bed. "They're not _that_ serious."

This piqued Rikuo's strained interest. He was torn between walking out of this room and crawling next to Kazahaya's body, but something about Kazahaya's blush and his newfound opinion regarding the visions being "not that serious" was laughable.

"Oh? Kakei seems to think they are." Kazahaya pouted angrily. "And you were pretty shaken up by them too."

"I had another one just now."

"I think what you had was a dream." Kazahaya slipped out of the sheets and hung his legs over the edge while keeping contact with Rikuo's hard glare.

"Please don't be mad at me Rikuo, I had to know." The next thing Rikuo knew he heard Kazahaya's light, cat-like steps come to him, his long delicate fingers wrapped around something in his hand. Rikuo had just seen those fingers clenched in the sheets suffering the throes of a mysterious dream. Now they were uncurling before him to show what they protected.

"My...house key?" Kazahaya nodded and Rikuo took his property.

"When did you take this?"

"When you were downstairs, after Kakei left me. I had to force myself into a vision to see what the hell is wrong with me. I'm sorry Rikuo, I had to know what you were doing to me."

"And did you see?" Rikuo asked in the most unconcerned, uninterested voice he could mutter.

"Yes."

"So?"

"What?" Kazahaya shrank under Rikuo's inquisitive stare.

"Aren't you going to tell me what I did to hurt you?" Kazahaya feigned deafness and slipped by Rikuo who met his steps as he entered the kitchen for a glass of water. He stood dangerously close to him as Kazahaya ran the tap. "What makes you tell me not to stop in this vision of yours?"

Kazahaya took a painful gulp of water and almost choked. "Wh-what?"

"Just now you told me not to stop whatever it was. You seemed...pleased." Rikuo smirked.

Kazahaya stiffened as Rikuo wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him to his chest. He could feel every muscle in Rikuo harden at the delicious contact of his slim back against hard abs, the top of his toned legs, the chest breathing heavily and the heart thumping against him. Kazahaya shivered when Rikuo ran a hand up his arm where it landed on his neck and was caressed by silken strands of honey hair. However much pleasure Kazahaya felt from the embrace, he was tormented by fear and his barely concealed secret. It threatened exposure with each stroke of Rikuo's hands as they massaged his neck and shoulders.

"Stop it Rikuo." Kazahaya tried to pull away, but Rikuo held fast. "I'll scream," he threatened pitifully.

"I can make you scream in other ways, _Kaza_. Tell me about this vision."

"It's nothing. Please let me go."

"I will if you tell me what you saw just now. I think you were enjoying whatever it was."

Kazahaya squirmed causing a heated friction between their bodies. Rikuo was nearly pushed to the edge of an explosive desire. Kazahaya was at his mercy and taking it so well despite his past behavior concerning these intrusive flirtations. Rikuo thought a whining scream was overdue...or at least a jab to his stomach.

"If you were so afraid of me and these visions, you'd be out of my hands already. Something's changed." Rikuo tightened his grip and leaned into Kazahaya's neck. "Tell me," he whispered harshly into his ear. The hot breath seemed to enter his body.

"I...we..."

"Come on. Spill it."

"We were having..." Kazahaya sobbed softly.

Rikuo shook him gently to shake the rest out. "Having?"

Kazahaya said it like an exhale.

"Sex."

"And the visions before?"

"It was from you hurting me."

"And the blood?"

Kazahaya stiffened even harder in Rikuo's now crushing grasp. Rikuo hadn't noticed, but each admission caused him to hold the boy tighter and tighter.

"It was my first time," Kazahaya admitted with a subtle choke in his throat. Rikuo felt something wet trickle to the hand still holding Kazahaya's neck. Tears? Rikuo felt the hot liquid like acid. He let go instantly and pushed Kazahaya away gently.

Blood. Tears. Pain. Kazahaya was holding the sink in a futile attempt to keep his weak knees from collapsing. When Rikuo stepped far enough for Kazahaya to feel safe, he let gravity claim his aching body and heart. The cold tiled floor accepted him, tears and all.

_Why isn't' Rikuo leaving? Haven't I frightened him? Why can I still sense him behind me? I don't want you to be witness to this weakness, Rikuo. I want you to..._

"Help me." It was barely a whisper. Rikuo was standing halfway between the kitchen and the bedroom door, caught between the edge of the carpet and the beginning of the tile where Kazahaya had fallen victim to his unleashed emotions. Kazahaya's forehead was stuck to the cupboard door under the sink and his arms were still latched onto the sink's edge. He did not hear footsteps, but felt a sudden rush of air like he was flying. Only when he felt his body fall gently into the natural contours of his bed did he realize where he was and who was with him. The memories in his head throbbed like a migraine. Despite the visions, he was glad Rikuo was with him. He was glad Rikuo had taken off his shirt and rough jeans to crawl in nearly naked to lie with him and hold him. When the hard breathing behind him finally evened out into sleep, Kazahaya started to wonder what the visions actually meant, but more importantly, he questioned their validity.

_I'm only supposed to see what objects have seen, not what they will see. _

_What's happening to me?_

_

* * *

_  
tbc.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate it! I want to say really quickly that the title "The Pygmalion Effect" is a fancy way of saying something is self-fulfilling, like a prophecy or vision, or simply the way you perform due to pressures and expectations. It comes from the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, etc. Also, I don't know if anyone reads _XXXHolic_ (I do --) but in the first volume, Rikuo and Kazahaya appear once as kind of side characters, so I "threw" in characters from that manga, meaning it's not a big deal if you haven't read it. Hope it's not confusing and I promise it's a one time thing.

_The Pygmalion Effect_

Chapter 2

"Yes, I'm fine Kakei-san. Really, I can work some today." Kazahaya tied his uniform apron's strings into a neat bow behind his back and gave Kakei the most heartwarming smile he had ever seen. Kakei could only sigh in dissent, for he could not convince the boy that he could have the day off because of recent unnerving events. Kazahaya had come downstairs as if nothing had happened and assured Kakei very vehemently that his "bad" visions had been the product of "good" intentions. Although, "good" was attached to intentions very lightly because Kazahaya still needed time to decipher things. There had only been two visions...three if he counted the one induced by Rikuo's house key. He had chosen that particular object because of its latent potential. It was such a mundane thing but mundane things often absorbed someone's deepest thoughts and desires. Rikuo was probably more worried about Kazahaya touching his pillow or his shirt, something that stayed near his body for a long period of time, not a damn key that he used only once or twice a day and then left on his nightstand!

Other than the frightening experience of pain suffered in the visions, Kazahaya found himself drawn to the idea of Rikuo having sleeping with him. Maybe it was the novelty of losing his virginity. Mind _you_ he had only had these thoughts when he woke up this morning with Rikuo still in his bed. If anyone had walked in he or she would have thought that they two really were lovers by the way they were wrapped together in the sheets.

Kazahaya took great pride in the fact that he woke up first for once, yet he didn't have the heart to rub it into Rikuo's face. They'd had enough trouble and he didn't want to ruin his sleep.

_Of course, he'll probably be mad as hell because I didn't wake him_, Kazahaya thought with a snicker.

"What are you giggling about?"

Kazahaya froze when he heard Rikuo's voice. "Umm, nothing. You're working today?"

"Yeah. You're the one not supposed to be working." Kazahaya shrugged and moved down the aisle to work.

"I feel fine, besides—"

"You need the money." Kazahaya snapped his head at Rikuo angrily.

"Yes. Why does everyone make fun of me because of that?"

"Because it makes you seem shallow and pathetic." Rikuo walked by Kazahaya and gave him a hard punch on the shoulder. It stung but the victim bore it without making a sound because he knew it was the truth, albeit a painful truth.

A ringing bell indicated someone had entered the store to be instantly greeted by Kakei and maneuvered to his office. The tall, dark haired boy Kakei led seemed familiar, but Kazahaya couldn't quite place him. He was particularly handsome with his blue eyes and glasses. Kazahaya stopped peeking through the shelves when Kakei shut his office door. All kinds of shady characters, Saiga included, congregated around this place.

_Maybe it's another assignment! Kazahaya thought happily. Damn, thinking about money again. Think about something else...Rikuo. Hmm. Rikuo. Rikuo. Rikuo. Heh. No, that's not right…think of Kei. Kei…_

Kazahaya was in deep thought for some time when a small, pleasant voice came from behind Kazahaya. He turned to see the mystery boy and Kakei.

The boy said simply, "You have a spirit of regret hanging over you." He then gave Kakei a formal bow and exited the store. Kakei sighed and looked utterly defeated.

"Kakei-san? Who was that and what the hell did that mean?"

"That was the assistant of an associate of mine, Yuko. Though I do not believe you will be meeting her anytime soon, her assistant has the ability to see spirits. He perhaps saw Kei's spirit or your strong concern for her. I wouldn't worry about it though because he was here for personal business." Kakei smiled tenderly and left Kazahaya to his work, but he went as far as Rikuo and began to discuss a mission with him. Kazahaya felt very discarded when Kakei did not include him, for he was usually the first to put his hand up and volunteer for a mission.

--

"Rikuo, has Kakei-san been giving you secret missions?"

Rikuo ate his dinner silently while Kazahaya drilled him.

"Yeah," he said matter-of-factly. He took another bite of food to suppress the smirk at the coming angry tirade building up in Kazahaya's big mouth.

"Wha—that's not fair! That's just not FAIR! Rikuo you know how much I need mon—" Kazahaya shut his mouth abruptly and covered his lips with his hand.

_Gotcha_, Rikuo thought. "You need what now?" he prodded.

"Er...I need more...experience in the uh..."

"You're cute when you're being dumb." Rikuo thought the flippant statement would shut Kazahaya up and keep him from rambling on with his horrible lie. Of course he was going to say he needed more money, and he was rather silly when he was lying, but when Rikuo looked up to see what would naturally be an angry reaction to his words, he saw that Kazahaya looked very somber. He stared at Rikuo with unnatural firmness and attention that he would have sworn the boy was possessed with another personality.

"Kazahaya?" The person in question looked away and suddenly lost his resolve.

"When you say things like that, Rikuo, or when you do things that...you know..." Kazahaya played with his chopsticks. "Do you mean them or are you just playing with me?"

Saiga's questions came flooding back into Rikuo's mind:

_Do you mess around with him because you're a sadist or because you really like him? Do you do it because you want it to lead to something? Do you want to screw him or make love to him?_

"Can I ask you something, Kazahaya?" Rikuo decided not to answer the question put to him, rather, he decided to ask his own questions to figure out how he really felt. Kazahaya didn't seem to notice that his question was ignored, and he nodded yes.

"What do _you_ want me to do?"

Soft eyes were suddenly on Rikuo. "What do you want my actions to mean, Kazahaya? Those visions...I can't say for sure what they mean. I don't know if that's the future or my own sick fantasies to--"

"Rikuo don't say that."

"Is it a sick fantasy? Tell me Kazahaya."

"I...I feel alone, Rikuo. I don't know how I want you to treat me." Kazahaya stood and left the table without a backwards glance. Rikuo heard bed springs cry out against Kazahaya's body and he knew, just _knew_ that he was in there crying. Feeling stupid and compelled to comfort Kazahaya, for it was his own damn fault that he upset him, Rikuo went into the bedroom and found Kazahaya simply sitting on his bed with a vacant expression. Before Rikuo even had a chance to say anything, he was cut off with a vague question.

"Would you?" Rikuo cocked his eyebrow in confusion. "Would I what, Kaza?" Kazahaya smiled at his shortened name. Rikuo only used it when he was trying to be _too_ nice.

"Would you sleep with me?"

"What! No!"

"You didn't seem to mind in the visions," Kazahaya joked with a cute smirk.

"They were just visions Kazahaya!"

"Maybe." Kazahaya slowly shut his eyes tight to block out all the things assaulting his senses, but he could not block out his own mind. "To me it was _so_ real. I can deal with the pain but I feel empty without the feeling." Rikuo stumbled over to his friend and sat beside him. He wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. Such an innocent gesture to Rikuo, but to Kazahaya, the touch was like fire in his distressed state.

"Have you seen any more visions?"

"No, but the memories are still strong." Kazahaya smiled and fell back to the bed with Rikuo's arm still attached to his waist. Rikuo rolled his eyes and took his arm away.

"Are you going to bed now?" Rikuo asked.

"I guess, unless…come on Rikuo let's have sex!" Kazahaya burst out laughing and rolled into his bed and under the sheets to protect himself from Rikuo's playful attacks. The white sheet came over Kazahaya's face and obscured everything in a snowy, light permeated haze. His own laughter and Rikuo's sudden grunt of displeasure at not being able to get Kazahaya ended when the sheets were spread like a lily blooming in spring to reveal Rikuo on top of Kazahaya, their bodies touching and their faces so close that the nonexistent kiss was palpable…if only one would move to make it real.

But neither did. Kazahaya blushed at his position and his own childishness and Rikuo found himself too aroused to be safe. He got off the bed with a forced smirk to make it seem as if he wasn't bothered by the innocent play.

_That was too close_, he thought as he lay in bed that night. _If Kazahaya had pushed his pretty little mouth up, I might have lost it. Damn, cold shower didn't help. What was he thinking when he said that? Let's have SEX! Okay, I can do that…except I can't. _

_I just can't._

--

"_Rikuo, I don't know exactly what it is that Kazahaya saw, but I have a good idea. I trust my intuition, but whatever it is, no matter how good or bad Kazahaya thinks it is, **don't **encourage him. I fear for Kazahaya, not only because of what may be happening between you two, but because of my failure to see his future. I believe…I **know** that these events are somehow connected._

"_I'm having a close associate's assistant come over this morning to give a quick look at Kazahaya. This boy can see visions. Maybe he can see something I can't."_

--

_Ring! Ring!_

Kakei picked up the phone.

"Green Drugstore, Kakei speaking."

"Kakei, dear, this is Yuko."

"Yuko! I didn't expect to hear from you. You don't usually call unless something disastrous happens." Kakei laughed.

"Always a joker, Kakei. Listen, Watanuki said he didn't see anything useful...have you been able to see the boy's future yet?"

"Unfortunately, no." Kakei sighed. "This has never happened before, Yuko."

The mysterious Yuko smiled. "It will all work out, after all, it's _hitsuzen_, dear Kakei."

* * *

_Hitsuzen_-there are no coincidences, it's all fate basically. 

tbc.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Mentions of volume 3, but no spoilers, just mentions of names and some background characters I've given names and personalities to.

_The Pygmalion Effect_

Chapter 3

--

Pure weightlessness consumed his body. He was lifted and then settled into a place that was neither here nor...There. He was there. A veil was lifted and he saw everything as clearly as light penetrated crystal water. It is a sudden burst of knowledge and timeless anticipation for the seconds and millennia stretching out before all human grasping. One only needed to touch the future to gain its secrets. All matter exists in simultaneous states of past, present, and future.

_Matter cannot be destroyed or created; it simply is and always will be._

Kakei wasn't sure if all visions were experienced in this manner, but it was how he felt and what he thought each time a glimpse of the future came to him. How to deal with the repercussions of meddling with unwritten events...it was not something Kakei took lightly, for he treated each vision delicately and with the utmost concern for cause and effect, consequence, punishment, fate, prophecy, self-fulfillment...

How did Kazahaya see his visions?

Kakei exhaled. He opened his eyes. Coming out of a vision sometimes left him breathless and excited about the contents, yet sometimes a vision would make him sick. Those were the times he loved having Saiga by his side, and at this moment, he wished Saiga were here. It was another vision of Kazahaya's apparent non-existence. The blackness of the void lingered in his eyes like too much chlorine in a swimming pool and it stung his heart to even think of Kazahaya drowning in oblivion.

As the weeks passed, Kakei began to wonder if he was even meant to see Kazahaya's future.

_Hitsuzen_.

Summer began to fade, but its heat did not dissipate.

The employees of Green Drugstore worked as they always had, but the end of summer meant school was approaching which in turn meant people needed school supplies. The drugstore was not only convenient for everyday medical problems, but it also carried a variety of paper goods, pens, organizers, and other such necessities for the classroom. Girls came in to ask for certain types of pink paper and pastel ink pens to write love notes. Do not forget the little heart shaped stickers or the ones with bunnies or kittens. Rikuo shuddered when he stocked them.

The store was flooded with a steady stream of customers the week before most schools opened their doors. Word got around that two cute guys worked the shop, so it was no surprise that throngs of girls and the occasional pretty boy hung out more than was necessary to buy one notebook.

Rikuo had just shooed out a group of annoying fifteen year olds before Kakei ordered him into his office. On the way, Rikuo was surprised when Kakei found Kazahaya and told him to come as well, for Kakei had not given Kazahaya an extra assignment in weeks.

_Going to Kakei's office doesn't automatically mean there's a mission_, Rikuo thought, but Kakei surprised both boys when he offered a mission.

"OH! Thank you Kakei-san," Kazahaya burst happily. "I haven't had a mission in forever! What is it? Do we get to go somewhere?" Rikuo smirked at Kazahaya's child-like reaction to something so mundane.

Kakei laughed and echoed Rikuo's thoughts in his own mind. "Actually Kazahaya, all I want you to do is hold this piece of cloth." Kakei handed Kazahaya a piece of ordinary looking white cloth. It felt like stiff, heavily starched linen, torn on one side with a button hole on a corner. Kazahaya regarded it for a moment before he pulled himself into a trance. He had to concentrate very hard to make the thing give up its secrets.

The cloth had a story to tell, and it was not a happy one.

Kakei and Rikuo instantly noticed the change in Kazahaya. His eyes glazed and became transfixed on an invisible image and his body slackened while his hands tightened around the cloth. An angry glare suddenly pierced his visage, his eyes narrowed and his hands began to shake. It was quick and full of rage, but the vision began to melt. Kazahaya felt the veil he had penetrated close before him like a curtain. The light that had illuminated the hidden world became horribly dim so that when he began to come out of the vision, he had no point to fix his consciousness. This was often the reason he fainted after seeing something very strong and full of emotion.

It was a paralytic blindness and it came over him this time as it had many times before. Kazahaya fell back on the couch with the cloth still clutched in his hand. Kakei took it from him and waited until he began to rouse from the vision-induced sleep.

"Are you alright?" Rikuo asked when Kazahaya sat up.

"Yeah. Wow, that was strange."

"What did you see?" Kakei asked.

"There was a woman ironing a shirt for her husband. He...he was cheating on her with someone at his work and she found out. She was so angry that she cut up all his clothing, broke his things. When he came home, he found her dead."

"Hey," Rikuo interrupted, "I heard about that. He was a lawyer having an affair with his secretary. The wife had some kind of heart condition, but she didn't know it until--"

"Her heart broke," Kazahaya finished. "She died of a broken heart."

Rikuo's own heart beat a little faster.

"So is that piece of cloth one of his shirts?" Kazahaya asked completely unaware of the Rikuo's hungrily beating heart.

"Yes." Kakei played with the fabric. "This was the shirt she was ironing when her husband's lover accidentally called his home instead of his cell phone. The message she left on the machine proved that he was having an affair."

"Why didn't she answer the phone?"

"I suppose she was too busy doing her husband's laundry." Kakei smiled at the irony. "Imagine if she had answered the phone...the secretary probably would have said she dialed the wrong number and hung up. The wife may have never known."

Rikuo thought for a moment and asked, "How did you find out about the phone call?"

"The client for this particular mission is the husband of the dead wife. He gave me this information to help with the given assignment." Kazahaya was enthralled with the story of this failed marriage. How tragic and modern! The phone was their undoing. The iron had kept the woman from picking up the phone and the answering machine had recorded everything. Maybe the mistresses' long manicured nails had accidentally hit the wrong button on her trendy cell. Hadn't the husband told her to keep his home number off her speed dials? She never listened. She just enjoyed the good, frivolous sex and the gifts of flowers. She liked his foreign car.

"Well, thank you for your help Kazahaya." Kakei forced a smile. "You may go."

Kazahaya opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what, but when he saw Rikuo and Kakei's eyes locked, he reluctantly left the room. He instantly turned around and pressed his ear to the shut door to hear anything that might give him a clue as to why Kakei wasn't giving him missions. He groaned when he only heard muffled words.

_That's it!_ he thought angrily. _I'm going to give Kakei a piece of my mind when he's done with Rikuo!_

Fortunately for Kakei, Kazahaya went back to work and avoided the boy for the rest of the day. Rikuo also seemed to ignore Kazahaya, but they eventually met up later that night for dinner. The strange sexual tension that had permeated their behavior for the past few weeks had waned and had almost disappeared, save for Rikuo's constant flirtation.

Dinner was always pleasant, but not tonight. Rikuo could sense Kazahaya's anger as he ate.

_I think he might attack me_, Rikuo thought with an internal laugh.

"_What_ are you staring at!" Kazahaya snapped. Rikuo recoiled and furrowed his brows in silent defiance of Kazahaya's temper.

"Fine, don't answer me you ass!" The little monster (as Rikuo suddenly saw him) crossed his arms and left the table in a huff. He slammed the door behind him and locked it for the night. Rikuo dreaded the next morning before it had even come. The sense that something wasn't quite right came when he was on his lunch break the next day.

"Ouch." Saiga said with a grimace. He sat behind the register and listened with rapt attention to the yelling coming from Kakei's office. Of course, the yelling was one sided— Kazahaya being the one side.

"Damn Kazahaya _can_ bitch," Rikuo said under his breath. Saiga heard it with superhuman hearing and let out a loud laugh accented with a pound on the counter. Despite how funny Kakei and Kazahaya fighting could be, both Saiga and Rikuo knew how serious Kakei could be about anything. He didn't take condescension and he did not like his subordinates giving him lip about their work, which is what Kazahaya was doing. The yells suddenly stopped and the office door opened slowly. Kazahaya walked out with a light red tinge to his cheeks. He glanced at Saiga, who shot back a happy grin and a thumbs up and Rikuo, who was curiously peeking from behind a tall display. Kazahaya shut the door behind him, walked calmly upstairs, and reappeared a few minutes later. He left the store with a frown and cast Rikuo a look that seemed to scream "traitor."

_Like I've done something wrong_, Rikuo thought.

The bells rang as Green Drugstore's door swung shut.

"Well?" Saiga said loudly. Rikuo jerked his head up at the man suddenly standing next to him.

"Well, _what_?"

"Aren't you going to go see what's wrong with him? Maybe give Kakei a good ass beating for abusing your boyfriend!" Saiga laughed all the way to Kakei's office without letting Rikuo get a good word in. _Boyfriend? How dare…whatever. It's not worth it_, Rikuo thought. _Besides, Kazahaya probably deserved it_.

--

Kazahaya was glad the sun was setting as he walked to the nearest outdoor café. The last thing he needed was the heat making his already hot head even hotter. He ordered a cold soda fountain drink and strolled lazily to the park nearby. Here was where that damn cat spirit decided to manifest itself as his precious sister, Kei. Kazahaya sat in a swing and gently rocked himself as he sipped on his soda and thought of his horrible behavior.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! I don't deserve Kakei-san's respect, not after what I said. He's right though. Just because he gives extra assignments doesn't mean I'm entitled to all of them. I won't be surprised if he fires me when I get back. _

"HEY! KUDO!"

"Eh?" Kazahaya looked up to see two boys walking towards him.

"Kudo Kazahaya!"

"Hai? Do I know you?"

The tallest boy laughed sweetly while the other one, tall and blonde, smiled and blushed.

"Maybe, hell knows we know you. We're from Suiryo. I'm Hiroshi and this quiet one is Minoru. Are you sure you're not a girl?"

"Hiroshi!"

"Sorry. You're just so pretty, Kudo. Everyone still talks about you at Suiryo, especially you in all those dresses." Minoru laughed and took the empty swing next to Kazahaya.

"You probably don't remember me, Kudo, but you talked to me once." Minoru began to swing a little. "You asked me where the students exited the main hall. Only someone new would have asked that."

"Oh?" Kazahaya put his finger to his mouth to think, a gesture that immediately excited the two boys. They leaned towards Kazahaya, their attention focused raptly on the pretty finger stuck to the moist lips. Kazahaya grinned. "Yeah, I remember now. So, why are you all the way out here? How is Nayuki and Mukofugiwara?"

"Them? I dunno. Probably in Europe somewhere. As for us, we recently graduated from Suiryo, so were having fun in the city for awhile. Actually, we were headed to a party and happened to cut through the park. Lucky we saw you, right? Wanna join us?"

"A party?" Hiroshi and Minoru nodded. "I don't know..." Minoru hopped off the swing and took Kazahaya's hand and pulled him up as well. "Come on, Kudo...Kazahaya. If you're not busy, that is."

"No, I'm not." Kazahaya frowned slightly and looked back in the direction of Green Drugstore. _Well_, he thought_, Kakei did say to take the rest of the day off, and it's not like I have to ask anyone's permission. It's just a party. I've never been to a party before._

"Kazahaya?" Minoru tugged at Kazahaya's arm to pull his mind from what manifested as a vacant expression on his face. Hiroshi looked in the direction of Kazahaya's stare and wondered what could possibly be beyond the thick green foliage of the park.

"Oh, sorry. Sure, I can come," Kazahaya said finally.

"Great, Kudo. It'll be fun, we promise. Our friend has a pool too, so we can swim to get out of this horrible heat. Don't you just hate summer, Kudo?"

"Swim...but...I don't have anything to swim in."

"I'm sure we can find something."

"But...I _can't_ swim."

Hiroshi laughed and hooked his arm in Kazahaya's. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You can use me and Minoru as floats." Kazahaya blushed at both the comment and the close contact of Hiroshi and Minoru, who suddenly decided to match his friend's embrace. Kazahaya found himself between two pretty boys, hooked at the elbows, and completely unable to make himself stop and turn back to the safety of the drugstore. As his feet wandered from the store, so did his mind. Hiroshi and Minoru were charismatic and pulled Kazahaya into conversations he imagined. Both bantered about boys they had kissed and in Hiroshi's case, how his various lovers differed in bed. When asked about his own love life, Kazahaya admitted he was a virgin and not really gay. He actually didn't know what he liked. Too much time with Kei. Loneliness. Never going to school or interacting with anyone…it was enough for one to develop independent ideas about love and life. Kazahaya could love whomever he pleased, boy or girl, and it wouldn't make any difference.

Hiroshi and Minoru loved Kazahaya's logic.

Even more, Hiroshi loved Kazahaya's virginity.

It was all they talked about at the party. Minoru hung on every word Kazahaya spoke; few they were, but spoken with innocent grace. The host of the party lent Kazahaya a pair of swim shorts and they boys hit the pool. There were simply too many boys to count, and as Kazahaya made his way through the large crowds converging around, and in, the pool, heads turned and gossip spread about the mysterious boy with the milky white skin, flawless body, gorgeous honey brown hair that richened in the dying sun, and beautiful lips of an angel.

Melodramatic descriptions, yes. True, yes.

_Poetry cannot describe him_, one said theatrically.

Hiroshi introduced Kazahaya to most of the boys, and as the party started proper, it was time for the host to introduce his best friend: the keg. Kazahaya recoiled from the beer, but Hiroshi said something that reminded him of Rikuo.

"Come on, Kudo. Don't be a baby." Hiroshi said it with a smile and without malice. Honestly he was joking with Kazahaya, but the words stung nevertheless. It was something Rikuo would say to hurt his pride or to remind him how naïve he really was. With stern conviction, Kazahaya took the offered drink and swallowed it bodily. The taste was foul but he held it down. After three drinks, Kazahaya knew he was done and flat out refused anymore. Hiroshi jostled Kazahaya like a toy…or maybe that was just his drunk brain being knocked around inside his skull. He felt sick as Hiroshi led him behind the host's large house. Kazahaya hadn't noticed how big the building was until he was in its dark shadow.

_Oh, there are shadows everywhere. It's…night. How long have I been here? _

Kazahaya felt gentle hands on his waist and lips on his neck. He moaned when lips came to his own and sucked gently at the tender mouth.

"A boy could really fall for you, Kaza."

_Kaza? _

_Rikuo? _

Kazahaya's eyes flew open to see Hiroshi nearly on his knees, his fingers hooked under Kazahaya's shorts to pull them down.

"Hiroshi, _stop_." Kazahaya tried to pull away but Hiroshi was lucid and hopped back up to cover the protest with another kiss. His hand dug between Kazahaya's legs and squeezed the object of his desire making Kazahaya cry out softly.

"Come on, Kaza. Let's have some fun. I promise I'll be _sweet_ to you."

Kazahaya felt like throwing up. His eyes darted around to see the party and the hopeful safety of the mass of people. Kazahaya used what little strength he had in his state and pushed Hiroshi away and made towards the pool. He saw Minoru at the edge of the pool through blurry vision. Behind him was Hiroshi, his body next to his, pushing him forward with fear. Kazahaya felt safe in the crowd even with Hiroshi so close. Each step was more confident, yet unstable. The alcohol mixed with the sounds of boys laughing and splashing water, the feel of Hiroshi, his stolen kisses.

_My stolen kisses._

Kazahaya was almost by Minoru's side when the first tears fell to the water slick concrete.

He barely felt his feet go out from under him, the skull cracking smack, the rush of lukewarm water around his body and inside his lungs as his body gasped to take in one last breath of air.

Screams were muffled by water in his ears.

Arms pulled at him.

Blood painted their hands.

* * *

tbc. 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for the reviews again! I'd really like everyone's honest opinion about this chapter.

_The Pygmalion Effect_

Chapter 4

Rikuo yawned and stretched out his long arms above his head as he turned away from the Green Drugstore's front window. The sun had gone down long ago and left an eerie quiet in the empty store. The street was not empty and it hinted of Friday night parties. Lights illuminated cars and pedestrians heading to the nearby clubs that littered the city. Even if Green Drugstore were in one of the most respectable neighborhoods, it was not shielded from the secrets of nightly adventures. Friday night, just before the store closed at seven, the most popular product sold was, of course, condoms. Those annoying but necessary things were Rikuo's favorite thing to stock simply because he could use them to make Kazahaya blush in various shades of red and pink. When Kazahaya got his hands on condoms, he usually made quick work of them and Rikuo was left without his fun.

His fun, his little Kazahaya, was missing. Kakei had told Rikuo earlier that Kazahaya was being "difficult" and that he had sent him away with instructions to take the day off to calm down. While Kazahaya's temper was fierce, it was usually brief; however, the boy had been gone for about six or seven hours and it was nearing midnight. Rikuo was afraid to lock up the store for fear of locking Kazahaya out, but then he remembered the back door and the fact that Kazahaya probably had his house key with him. Still, the boy could be remiss about certain things. Rikuo's hand lingered over the store's front lock before turning the key and dead-bolting the door. He looked out the windows with a backwards glance in a futile hope of seeing Kazahaya.

--

Saiga, who was in Kakei's office, fell in and out of unconsciousness before Kakei shook him awake.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Saiga." Kakei smile barely covered a painful grimace.

"I was having trouble sleeping. Are you still hurting?" Kakei nodded and sat next to Saiga. He threw his thin glasses on the coffee table and buried his head in Saiga's warm neck. Not even this pleasant position could take away the pain in his head.

"You've had this headache for a few hours now, Kakei. Maybe you should go to the emergency room." Kakei moaned negatively and said, as he had several times that night, that it was just stress and fatigue.

"Kakei, come on. This is more than just a migraine. You were crying because it was so bad."

"It's fine, Saiga."

"No," Saiga said more firmly. "You were blacking out, too."

"Take me to bed, Saiga." Kakei barely got the words out. Saiga sighed and pulled Kakei up without much effort. Even now his vision was coming in and out like a flickering light bulb. Each flicker was a sharp pain that settled at the back of his head and stabbed forward through his body. His hands were shaking. Saiga lifted the smaller man into his arms just when Rikuo politely knocked and peeked his head through the office door.

"Kakei?" he questioned. His response was a soft, unconscious moan.

"What's wrong?"

"He's had a few bad migraines today. Never this bad though." Rikuo followed Saiga through the back hall of the store and to Kakei's private apartment. He had only been back here twice and those visits were brief and only revealed the kitchen and den. Saiga took Kakei into his bedroom while Rikuo respectfully remained in the den.

When Saiga returned a few moments later, his face was drained of blood.

"You don't look so good," Rikuo said bluntly. Saiga shrugged, got a beer out of the fridge, and fell in a heap on the sofa.

"Do you know where Kazahaya went?" Saiga took a large swig of the drink and looked dumbly at Kakei's bedroom door.

"I dunno. Are you going to wait up for him?"

"I don't have much of a choice. Maybe I should go look for him."

"I'd come with you, but…damn Kakei won't go to the hospital. I'll be up all night watching to make sure he doesn't die in his sleep." Another sip brought the bottle to near empty. With one last swig, Saiga finished and told Rikuo to do whatever he needed to do. Rikuo nodded and left the apartment.

_What I need to do is give Kazahaya a good ass beating. _

Rikuo got his house key and left the store, locking it behind him. The dark night stretched out before him. Passing people ignored them, just as he ignored them. His singular target was a beautiful boy. Golden brown hair. Pretty liquid eyes. Cat-like. Loud. Mysterious. Vulnerable. Thoughtful. Heartbroken…Lost.

_Here I go with adjectives again_, Rikuo thought. _Damn, I'll never find him_.

Several blocks later, Rikuo was left Kazahaya-less. The feeling of not knowing where he was made Rikuo's heart beat with uncertainty.

_This must be what a parent feels when something happens to their child._

--

Sleep was hard that night. Rikuo awoke more tired than he had ever felt in his life. He lay in bed for a moment and sensed the hollowness of the apartment. Kazahaya had not come back. He showered, dressed, skipped breakfast, and as he left gave a small peek into Kazahaya's room to remind him that the boy did indeed exist, that he wasn't some strange beautiful figment in his mind. There was the unmade bed, so like him, a pair of his shoes, and his work apron tossed carelessly at the end of the bed.

Rikuo took each step downstairs carefully. Saiga was already at the counter and it seemed the shop had been unnecessarily opened a few hours early, or perhaps it was his own imagination. Saiga pushed his sunglasses up a bit and took an uncertain puff of his newly lit cigarette. Saiga left it in the ashtray where it smoldered itself out of existence. The man was quiet and said nothing as Rikuo went to Kakei's office and then reappeared a moment later to work.

The air was ripe with anxiety. Where was Kazahaya? Kakei did not know, but he had not slept because of his intense headaches. He woke between fitful moments of half sleep to find Saiga watching with a calm expression that belied his concern. When Kakei finally gave up on sleep, he made it his purpose to find Kazahaya. A round of phone calls to all the local hospitals yielded nothing. The police were utterly useless. None of his strange acquaintances could see anything through magical avenues. Kakei wanted to read his own precognitive abilities as prophetic, for in trying to see Kazahaya's future for the past few days, nothing had appeared but blackness, and here he was...missing.

Lost in perpetual darkness.

Kakei hung up the phone and dialed again like he had for the hundredth time this morning, and as convenience dictates, this phone call was most fruitful.

"Yes!" he said with a muted excitement. "Yes, with light brown hair, greenish brown eyes...yes...Kudo. Kudo Kazahaya. How? Okay, but...when?" Kakei stifled a gasp. "That was this morning." There was another pause in which the receptionist on the other side explained the situation. "No, last night. He was missing for several hours. Thank you...yes, I'll be there as soon as I can." Kakei let the phone slip back to the receiver.

He managed to keep a straight face when he came to Saiga at the front desk.

"Where's Rikuo?" he asked softly. Saiga slowly took out his cigarette and threw it in the ashtray, his eyes on Kakei in evident concern. Kakei shuddered when he felt Saiga looking right through him.

"Kakei?"

"I found Kazahaya. He's at Mercy Hospital." Kakei bit his frowning lip. "I have to go immediately." Whatever emotion Kakei was feeling suddenly melted away and was replaced by calm determination. His eyes lit with a fierce fire. "Get Rikuo," he ordered. "I'm closing the shop for the rest of the day." Saiga locked the front doors.

Later Saiga wondered how many people had come to the shop while they were gone.

Rikuo seemed to take the news well. He was expressionless when they entered the hospital. Kakei seemed to feed off his mood. Saiga stayed by his side like a living walking stick. None of them liked hospitals, not even Mercy Hospital which was the top facility in the city. It just smelled like a hospital. Overwhelming. Death and dying. Blood.

"Kudo Kazahaya, please," Kakei said to the receptionist. She nodded and pulled up the name and gave them the room number.

"You'll have to wait in the waiting rooms. Visiting hours are strict in the ICU," she added with a tender, sympathetic smile. They went to the fifth floor and sat quietly with a few other people who were waiting. Simply waiting. That's why they called it a waiting room. Rikuo was nervous. He wanted to see Kazahaya, but not like this. His eyes darted to the clock and to the posted visiting hours. Half an hour. What if something happened between now and then? What had happened to his Kaza? Who are all these people? Why is that boy over there looking at me like that? He just turned away…yeah, I caught you looking.

Rikuo frowned at the boy who had been casting stares at him. The boy next to him had a hard, handsome face, the kind of person who was too vain for his own damn good. The other one, light hair and seemingly sweet, the one with the stare…his leg was fidgeting, and his friend laid a hand on his knee to stop the conspicuous movement. Not that anyone really cared if someone was jumpy. It was the waiting. Everyone moved when the time ran down to the half hour…except the two boys. The dark hard one started to get up but the other twitchy guy stopped him with a nervous guilty expression. Rikuo barely saw him whisper something into the other's each before leaving the waiting room.

His stomach was full of rotten butterflies. This wasn't like Christmas morning. The gift was going to be a bad surprise with torn paper and an ugly bow. The ICU receptionist told them where Kazahaya was. The doctor was making rounds as well, so they were sure to get details. Details filled in the cracks like glue. Rikuo didn't know if all those little parts would make him feel better after seeing Kazahaya. He had to consciously think of Kazahaya in a myriad of conditions. Bad, good, worse, worst.

Simply sleeping. The room was bathed in dull grey light from the curtains and the bleak cream painted walls. A florescent lamp whose only purpose was to give the doctors light was casting harsh glares on Kazahaya's fine white skin. His head was turned towards them but unaware. A few IVs cut into his skin necessarily and were ready for any drugs if need be. He did not look sick.

Kakei and Saiga were already by his side and touching him. Rikuo was afraid to touch him, but he forced his hand to Kazahaya's limp fingers.

Yes, he is here and _yes_ he _is_ alive and warm.

Rikuo smelled chlorine. Kazahaya's hair was messy.

"You must be Kudo's friends?" A honeyed voice, unmistakably female and commanding, entered the room. Kakei answered yes and found it in himself to smile at the beautiful doctor.

"I'm Dr. Tanaka Aiko. Let's have a look at him then." Tanaka did just that and very quickly.

"He's doing very well. The drugs are making him sleep."

"What happened?" Rikuo asked coldly.

Tanaka looked at her chart before pulling over a chair. She sighed.

"This will be particularly hard news, but to begin with, Kudo was brought in around three o'clock this morning with a very, very severe concussion. There was a fracture on the back of his skull. The boys who brought him in said he slipped and fell on the edge of a pool before he fell in the water. He's damn lucky people were there to pull him out or he would have drowned." Tanaka's mouth grimaced unattractively. "When he got to the emergency room, the doctor's there said the wound looked a little old like it had had time to swell and bruise. They checked him over and found that he had been drinking and that an unknown drug was in his system. It was helping the concussion but not him and it put him in a light coma for several hours." Tanaka paused to let the visitors ask any questions, but when the three remained silent, she continued.

"The ER doctors took a sample of his blood to the lab to try and identify the drug as soon as possible so that our drugs would not react negatively. The results came back quickly for something called GHB…a type of date rape drug." Her voice trailed off to judge the men's reactions.

"Rape?" Rikuo mouthed silently.

"GHB can be a liquid or a dissolvable pill. Alcohol helps, makes it worse. The effects can range from nausea, relaxation, dizziness, total unconsciousness, seizures, even coma or death. Whenever we find drugs like this, and there are more than just GHB, we always do a rape kit."

"And?" Saiga said. His dark voice contrasted with Tanaka's light timbre. Her only response was a nod. A yes. She got up from her chair. "The police," she began, "have already taken the evidence. He was in a coma and the boys who brought him in left as soon as they did with only an explanation of what happened. We didn't know who he was. I'm glad someone is here to be with him." Tanaka went to the door and said in barely contained anger. "I believe they risked his life by first giving him the drug and then by keeping him while he was injured to do what they did. I will do _everything_ in my power to keep him safe." Kakei smiled at her.

It was the only real smile anyone would see for a long time.

Kakei wanted to know how they found Kazahaya's name.

Saiga was ready to kill.

Rikuo already knew _who_ to kill.

The two mysterious boys in the waiting room were gone.

* * *

tbc.

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid) one type of drug seen in drug-assisted sexual assaults.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: No notes today kids. R&R if you please.

The Pygmalion Effect  
Chapter 5

--

Rikuo let the anger wash over him. It felt so fucking good to smash that mirror and see all the sparkling shards fall to his feet and into the sink. Some went down the drain with a tinkling sound. When Rikuo looked up at his handiwork, all he saw was a fractured version of himself. He was letting himself love Kazahaya. His pain is my pain kind of deal or something melodramatic like that.

A man walked into the hospital restroom and took one glance at Rikuo and skirted to the nearest stall. So maybe Rikuo should have waited to vent at home. He didn't care where he was though. The anger, no matter how strong it was, was fading despite Rikuo's attempt to hold it tightly. Reflective shards told him that nothing lasted forever, but right now, he wanted to keep this feeling closer than any other emotion because it was useful. It let his conscious be free. He could safely hurt this way; he could be vulnerable in this vicious facade.

Earlier, he'd done something stupid. Impulsive more than stupid, really. Those two suspicious boys from the waiting room had walked down the hall with warranted caution, a caution that proved futile when their interest in Kazahaya's room was discovered by both Rikuo and Saiga. Kakei was alone with Kazahaya, his doctor, and two detectives. Being the fatherly figure, Kakei ordered his friends out for the inevitable. Rikuo remembered the look of confusion on Kazahaya's face as he looked to his friend for some warning of what was to come. The poor boy already felt it.

Acting like guards, Saiga and Rikuo lurked around the closed door silently, no need for conversation.

And there they were, the two boys, caught in Rikuo's line of vision as they rounded a corner. They stopped in their tracks like prey catching wind of a predator hiding in the brush. Saiga felt the tension too late and wasn't able to catch Rikuo before he rushed one of the boys and pinned him against the wall. No nurses, no doctors. How convenient.

"Hiroshi!" the other boy called out. Saiga put his hand on Rikuo's shoulder to calm him.

"Come on man, let him go."

"You were here earlier," Rikuo growled. His eyes became dark and focused and bored into Hiroshi's very core. "What did you do to Kazahaya?"

"I didn't do anything!" The boy was shaking in Rikuo's grasp. "We were just at the party—"

Rikuo asked, "Did you hurt him?" Each word was punctuated by sorrow and anger, anger so powerful that Rikuo felt himself loose control. First it was a just a thought, then a feeling, then a rupture, like an aneurysm in the brain, so focused on Hiroshi and the space around him. Rikuo didn't feel it at first, but he felt the subtle rumble and crack of his heart that radiated out of him and into the ground below his feet, and like a vibration, it rippled down, down, down into the foundation of the hospital and to the soft soil of the earth. Saiga gripped Rikuo's shoulder harder and pulled him away from Hiroshi.

"You're going to collapse the building," Saiga warned as he pulled Rikuo farther from the target of his anger. Rikuo glanced down and saw the tiles of the hospital floor cracked in a spreading pattern from where he stood. The energy spawned from his anger was something he had never been able to produce before. This was not snapping beams or breaking locks with his mind. A gang of nurses happened to walk around the corner and down the hall just then, frightfully whispering, "Did you feel that, felt like a small earthquake...look at the floor!" They gasped at the cracks in the floor and continued on their way. No doubt they would call maintenance to fix the damage.

Hiroshi looked guilty. Neither he nor his friend was aware that Rikuo's mind, if let loose, could have burst their internal organs like popping water filled balloons. Saiga warned the two boys with his intense, sunglasses covered glare.

"The police have already talked to us!" The lighter hair boy confessed suddenly. "We didn't hurt Kazahaya. I swear."

"Maybe you boys should just go." Saiga nodded his head in the direction of the exit. Hiroshi cast a hateful glare at Rikuo as his friend urged him away. Whatever that look meant, Rikuo took it happily, for he felt the same.

--

Rikuo watched Kazahaya sweep the floor of Green Drugstore after hours as he straightened shelves for the next business day. Nothing was more annoying than people taking products and misplacing them. Sometimes an item would end up several aisles away. Rikuo understood. People picked up impulse buys, carried them around the store, lost interest, and stuck them somewhere else never thinking that it caused a little chaos for an employee. It was nice to let his mind wander on tangents like that, but every time Kazahaya came floating back into his mind...with a broom.

"Could you move, Rikuo?" Rikuo had been staring at the shelf for a minute and hadn't noticed Kazahaya with his broom. He stepped aside and let the boy sweep up little bits of dirt and molecules. Really, the floor wasn't that dirty. It was just a job and Kazahaya did it without complaint. He too needed something to keep his mind occupied. As Kazahaya made his way down the aisle, Rikuo said suddenly, "Do you want to..." He stopped, now unsure of his request.

Kazahaya looked at him dully. Rikuo hated that face. It was drained of life. It wasn't Kaza.

Rikuo sighed, "Let's go out after we close shop."

Kazahaya's face lightened. "Go out? Why?"

Rikuo shrugged. "I dunno. Eat. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"I'll pay too."

Kazahaya said curtly, "I can pay for myself."

Rikuo's mouth twitched aggravated, then, it twisted into a sly smirk. "Okay, fine. We'll just eat at home if you want to be so difficult."

Kazahaya's mouth dropped slightly. "I didn't mean—"

Rikuo sighed then offered a little smile. "I didn't mean it either. We can still go out." Kazahaya nodded and continued sweeping. When they closed the shop and finally went out into the dying summer night, the atmosphere between them was still cold. The unspoken hung over them like the moon. It cast shadows everywhere. It had only been a week since Kazahaya's release from the hospital, but the wounds were still fresh.

"How's your head?" Rikuo asked as they walked to the nearest cafe.

"Still a little sore."

"Are you...okay?"

"Yes, I said it's only a little sore. The doctor gave me some painkillers."

Rikuo decided not to press the matter further. _Of course that's not what I'm really asking Kaza, _Rikuo thought. _I want to know what's going on in that brain of yours_.

They eventually reached a little street cafe that sold excellent noodles. People were enjoying the late evening atmosphere which offered the barest of sunlight. The street lamps began to flicker on with an intense golden glow as it became darker and a light, dusky breeze fluttered through Kazahaya's hair as he swallowed a hot noodle. Rikuo couldn't help but smile at the obvious cuteness of everything Kazahaya was doing at the moment, yet the moment itself was stained with uncertainty and an unspoken sin. Kazahaya fidgeted at the table, his eyes flickering under heavy lids and focused on some point to his left. Rikuo tried to follow his gaze but only saw bushes.

"What are you looking at?" Kazahaya jumped at being caught. He tried to cover himself with a light nervous laugh. "Nothing," he said. "Just...thinking."

"About what?" Rikuo took a huge bite of his noodles. Kazahaya almost smiled. Something about that, the nervous laugh, the slight uplifting of his lips to make cute dimples appear on his cheeks, the way he sat, removed, distant, yet leaning slightly towards Rikuo's body, a blush that was barely visible in the near darkness...it could have pushed Rikuo over the thin barrier of decorum if they weren't in so public a place. Desire would have made him drop his noodles and sweep Kazahaya into an embrace, maybe kiss him.

He would like to kiss him.

"Let's go back to the apartment," Rikuo suggested. He stood and began to move away, to lead Kazahaya from the table before he protested, or began to...

"Wha—but it's so nice out, and we just got here!" Kazahaya jumped up from the table and walked beside Rikuo. "Let's go to the park." He pointed in the direction which had occupied his mind. "Remember the park where that shape shifting cat was?"

"Yeah. What's so great about the park?"

"Nothing," Kazahaya said softly. He looked at the sidewalk meekly. "It's just...it's where I want to go, that's all."

Kazahaya looked up quickly and flashed a sweet smile that melted Rikuo's heart.

"Never mind then, let's go home. It was a stupid idea anyway."

"It's not a stupid idea, Kaza. We can go if you want."

"No, really, it's okay. I thought that maybe I could see something..." Kazahaya's voice became dark as it trailed off into silence. Rikuo understood, he could read between the lines. Where that soft smile had made him think that Kazahaya was forgetting, it was gone and replaced by something else. Rikuo's features darkened and he glowered down at Kazahaya, who seemed to shrink under the glare.

Rikuo said in a low whisper, "We're going home. Now." Rikuo grabbed Kazahaya's arm and roughly dragged him to the apartment. It was a blur for Kazahaya, but when he finally realized that he did not appreciate how he had just been handled, he ranted about how mean Rikuo was and why was it his business anyway and other such nonsense. Finally he said, "And why couldn't we just go to the park? It's just a park! We never get to do anything I want to do. Maybe I wanted to play on the damn swings!"

"You wanted to have a vision of the rape, Kazahaya." Rikuo said the words bluntly.

Kazahaya recoiled from Rikuo.

"We all know you went to the park after you left the store that day. You met those boys there and they took you to the party. What did you think you were going to do, follow a trail to the bed where that fucking bastard raped you?" Rikuo didn't mean to point at Kazahaya accusingly.

Anger filled Kazahaya's voice and he slapped Rikuo's hand away. "Yes I was and _so _what?"

"I won't let you—" Kazahaya pulled back his hand and hit Rikuo's cheek as hard as he could.

"You're such as bastard, Rikuo." A single tear slid down his white cheek.

Rikuo finished his sentence, "I won't let you get hurt again. I can't let us start like this, Kaza."

Kazahaya shuddered with sobs and blurring tears clouded Rikuo's strong form.

He choked on his words. "You don't want to be with me." Rikuo reached out, but Kazahaya reacted like a cat backed in a corner. How typical, Rikuo thought. The boy was running away from his problems and Rikuo's help. He didn't need help. He was beyond help. All he wanted now was some sense of closure in this stupid reality and no one was giving it to him. His mind suddenly swirled with every image that could hurt him. Rikuo making love to him in a vision, mixed with the unfamiliar sensation of rape, hatred at everyone…these things mixed hurt him more than anything. Why couldn't they understand? Why can't I see? The floor under his feet melted and gave way, his vision went greyish and blue. Something was familiar about the way he suddenly felt. It felt like flying.

Trying to focus only hurt, so he let himself go.

His brain finally said, "Hey, wake up!" Kazahaya's eyes fluttered open and he found himself lying in Rikuo's bed.

"Rikuo?" Kazahaya's vision cleared. Rikuo wasn't in the room. A bad headache swept over him and he was unable to sit up. He let his head sink into Rikuo's soft pillows. Funny, he could smell Rikuo even though he wasn't even sure what Rikuo smelled like. Glazed irises, darkish green...brown? Eyelids slipped over them slowly but not completely. Kazahaya could see the murky world of Rikuo's room through his dark eyelashes. Everything looked gauzy. This bed felt foreign, yet it accepted Kazahaya bodily. The sheets were sucking him into a warm cocoon with Rikuo's smells smothering every inch of his body.

_I can't…don't want to move_, Kazahaya thought sleepily. _I wish this bed would swallow me up. Rikuo, where are you? No…this…this is a vision. I can see it now. There is that strange veil of warm light. I'm parting it like a curtain. I can see you now, Rikuo…are we…making love?_

_Yes_, Rikuo answered. Kazahaya felt his own nakedness but did not feel ashamed as Rikuo touched him. It was only a vision. Rikuo had been thinking about him again and even more so since the rape. Funny how any kind of sex, perverse or no, could make anyone involuntarily think of fucking around. Kazahaya gritted his teeth and took the painful intercourse again. He closed his eyes against the vision and tried to think of something else. This was too painful. He didn't want to see Rikuo like this right now.

He cried in the vision.

Vision Rikuo finally faded from Kazahaya's inner eye.

His physical eyes awakened and showed Kazahaya that he was still in Rikuo's bed, only this time the bed allowed him to leave. Sometimes strong psychic presences tended to suck one in. Kazahaya slid off the bed with wobbly legs and walked to the kitchen. Rikuo was at the table reading a paper. The clock said it was one in the morning. He looked up from whatever he was reading and said wearily, "Do you know you've been asleep for about an hour?"

Kazahaya couldn't believe Rikuo's blasé attitude. "You…STOP THINKING ABOUT ME!" Kazahaya stuck his fingers in his hair and pulled the strands taut in wadded fists of frustration. "CAN'T YOU GO ONE DAMN SECOND! HUH!"

"What are you—"

"It's all over _your _bed Rikuo." Kazahaya laughed nervously. "You were screwing me…again! Everything I touch. I can't touch anything anymore! Why? What's wrong with you Rikuo? Why do you still want me after what's happened?" Kazahaya's fingers fell out of his hair. Rikuo got up from the table. The newspaper slipped from his hands and scattered on the floor. He took Kazahaya's shoulders and said softly, "You smiled today. I haven't seen you smile in a long time. I missed it."

Confusion silenced Kaza.

Rikuo ran his through Kazahaya's soft hair. He twirled the strands around his fingers and made little trails in his scalp. It was a touch much gentler than what Kazahaya had just done. Rikuo came closer pressed the little body tightly to his own. The proximity caused warmth to pass like wildfire from one to another. Each hot breath, escaping with each huff of Kazahay's open mouth assaulted Rikuo's senses, and once again he was losing control because of his desire. He said, "Do you understand what I mean when I said I didn't want us to start this way?" Kazahaya's brows knotted in thought. "No…I don—"

"Kazahaya." The boy looked up to see Rikuo leaning over him. A weight pressed onto his abdomen. Rikuo had slid his arms around Kazahaya's tiny waist like a trap, for he couldn't move…not that he wanted to. He said Rikuo's name, and his response was a pair of lips hovering over his own. The cool rush of air from Rikuo's nostrils made Kazahaya quiver more than the touch of his entire body.

The lips, pink and full…he could already taste them.

Kazahaya moaned, quite involuntarily. Rikuo pressed himself harder to squeeze out another passionate sound. This time the moan was deep and opened his lips deliciously.

Rikuo murmured, "I want you more than anything I've ever wanted."

That want pushed Rikuo forward and sent his lips to Kazahaya's. The sensation parted his victim's virgin lips further, and Rikuo let loose a long lap of his tongue in Kazahaya's mouth. The touch deepened and his tongue went farther, freeing passionate moans trapped within Kazahaya's throat. Crying and desirous sounds filled Rikuo's ears. He pulled back and suckled the lips until they were wet.

He wanted Kazahaya to lick his lips and taste only him.

Only him. No rape. No stupid visions.

Rikuo saturated Kazahaya's mind with lusty thoughts. Visions that had once seemed so real were supplanted by self-made fantasies and wild desires. Arousal hit the boy hard, and quite literally. Rikuo had him against a wall and was pressing his hips into his own swelling and throbbing craving.

"Rikuo," he panted after a long kiss. "_Rikuo_…" His lips had taken his neck roughly.

Rikuo halted his nips and breathed against Kazahaya's moist neck. "Kaza...I can't stand the thought of you lost in that vision. Don't put yourself there, please..."

Kazahaya gave a sharp gasp when Rikuo's hands slid up his shirt and massaged the creamy skin. They came forward and moved up and down his chest while his lips doted on his neck and chin nad every silky inch between. Rikuo knew he could manuever Kazahaya to his bed and crush him under his own body. They could both have relief from this terrible pain. Rikuo decided then. He led Kazahaya to his bed and laid him on the sheets. The boy lay there quite still. His mind was pushing back all the visions he'd had of Rikuo. There was no comparison here. This was much, much better. Kazahaya was turned on more than he'd thought humanly possible. His arousal had hardened painfully and he longed for release. It was the same release Rikuo had planned, and as he lay between Kazahya's legs, he already imagined what it would feel like to be inside his body and touch his nakedness. It wasn't a stupid fantasy anymore. Kazahaya was making it real.

Rikuo was surprised when Kazahaya wrapped his legs around his waist and held on tight.

"Kaza?"

"Can we...just...sleep?"

"Sleep? You don't want to...you know?"

"No. Yes, I mean, but I'm so tired right now." Rikuo looked into Kazahaya's eyes. He _was _tired. The whites of his eyes were a little red and his skin was paler than usual.

"I've had too many visions," Kazahaya said. He blushed. "I'm sorry I hit you."

Rikuo smiled and managed to lay on his side with Kazahaya's legs still entwined with his.

"I deserved it." Rikuo kissed Kazahaya's forehead quickly and laid his chin over his head. He wrapped his arms around Kaza and felt his little body fall asleep. Rikuo wasn't far behind. Lost in a sweet dream, and long after they had both fallen asleep, Rikuo was jerked from sleep for no particular reason...maybe his brain needed to be reminded that he wasn't alone in the bed, but Rikuo had no trouble falling asleep again. Kazahaya was, indeed, the best pillow and the warmest blanket anyone could ever hope to have.

His delicate breathing was the sweetest lullaby.

When he woke up the next morning, a fear entered his mind. He feared that the night had been meaningless in its passion. He feared that Kazahaya would run away from this, but when he woke up and saw Rikuo lying next to him with his arms still around his body, he didn't run. He smiled.

"Morning," Rikuo said.

"Hi," Kazahaya said with a slight giggle. Rikuo caught that little laugh with a deep morning kiss.

They began their usual routine with a shower and breakfast. "I don't want to work today," Kazahaya said afterwards with a tiny frown. He was distracted by Rikuo _and _kissing _and _an unfathomable desire to crawl into his body and soul. He hadn't felt this way since Rikuo's addictive chocolate had filled him with craving.

As they both worked that day, neither could know what the other was thinking.

They could always imagine.

Problem was…

Things aren't always what they seem, and feelings are hard to let go.

* * *

tbc 


	6. Chapter 6

The Pygmalion Effect

Chapter 6

--

Kakei held a glass of wine delicately between his fingers. He swirled the pungent red drink around like a tornado to release its delicious alcoholic odors into the air. He smiled and regarded the newspaper on his desk.

"If this were another story..." he said knowingly but left the sentence hanging.

Kazahaya sat across from Kakei with his hands folded gently in his lap.

He agreed with a slight smile.

Saiga brooded over their conversation with a frown.

--

Saiga caught Kazahaya and Rikuo sharing a kiss during the slow hours. They were sandwiched between the shampoo and toothpaste aisle, yet the atmosphere of their location was insignificant to their desire. He grinned and captured the two in a hug with his strong arms and declared, "Finally you two shacked up! Have you done it yet?" Saiga laughed and ruffled Kazahaya's hair. The boy was blushing and trying to hold back a happy grin. Rikuo groaned his annoyance and wiggled out of Saiga's grip. Kazahaya laughed nervously and looked to Rikuo for help.

"Saiga-san, I need to get back to work." Kazahaya smiled at Rikuo and slithered out of Saiga's arms and disappeared like a cat on the prowl.

Rikuo thought that Saiga would then leave him alone, but the man suddenly looked at him so severely that he couldn't turn away.

He said very fatherly, "I hope for his sake you haven't had sex, Rikuo."

"We haven't. Not that it's your business." Saiga nodded. "Good. I mean...not yet, of course. Do you love him?"

Rikuo swallowed the nervousness caused by that word. Love. He wasn't blushing, but the heat rising from his heart made him feel like a fire was lit under his ass.

"I'm falling in love with him."

Saiga grinned. "I'll pass that on to Kakei, if you don't mind." Rikuo snorted his indifference. "Oh, by the way, I think Kakei's got a job for you guys after work. No making out. Work comes first." Saiga then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a rolled piece of newspaper and showed it to Rikuo.

"You read the papers. I bet you read it this morning, right?"

"Yeah."

"I have to say, Kazahaya got pretty damn lucky. I mean, they convicted the guy and Kaza didn't even have to go to court. That's the beauty of modern day forensics. We let science speak for us."

Rikuo said softly, "Kazahaya hasn't seen it yet. He doesn't pay much attention to the news."

"But you'll tell him?"

Rikuo looked up sharply, "Yes, of course. I...it's just...I can't talk about this now. I have to work and I don't want Kaza catching us talking about him." Rikuo turned from Saiga like he wasn't even there.

Saiga sighed and came up next to Rikuo and breathed into his ear, "If you ever need any advice on sex, just let me know." Saiga looked the boy right in the eye. Somehow Rikuo could see straight through the dark shades and into his mysterious eyes, somehow he saw the sincerity in his words. "I don't know if you're a virgin or anything, but if you are, with this kind of sex it's not--"

"I understand what you're trying to say, Saiga. We'll be fine, but thanks anyway."

"Sure thing kid." Saiga grinned and gave Rikuo a playful punch on the arm. "Just as well, I gotta get back to Kakei's office. Don't forget...after work."

"Yeah, after work."

--

"This has to be the stupidest job Kakei's ever given us," Rikuo said. He looked up at the imposing building with its colossal white columns and pediment that bore in large, deep scripted letters:

MUSEUM OF ART

"Wow!" Kazahaya yelled gleefully from halfway up the flight of stairs. "This place is huge! Hurry Rikuo, you slow poke." Kazahaya took it upon himself to run the rest of the way. He made it to the top without losing a breath and he made it a special point to laugh at Rikuo, who made it but was gasping for air.

"You need more exercise."

"Where...the...hell...elevator..."

"Oh," Kazahaya pouted innocently. "I think we just took the scenic route. There's a back entrance where you can take the elevators up." Kazahaya turned and looked up so he could see the pediment of the building. From behind, Rikuo growled. Damn little cat knew all along there was an easier entrance. In another situation, Rikuo might have scolded him thoroughly, but the look on his innocent face...it was simply amazement at such a structure. He had never been to a museum. What treasures might be inside!

"Let's go in, kid." Rikuo said after he caught his breath. He tugged Kazahaya's shirt to pull him inside the upstairs foyer. Kazahaya's eyes were hit with stunning architecture. Columns done in ancient Greek style were flanked by marble sculptures, most decayed by time but still holding beauty in their incompletion. Some people mingled around pieces they found most interesting. A few were even writing notes. The whiteness of the place bored Rikuo, but Kazahaya had already wandered to the nearest statue of a broken goddess.

"Isn't she pretty, Rikuo?" Her face peered back calmly with confidence in her immortal beauty.

"Yeah, she's hot. Come on, we can look at the art later. Let's get this done."

Kazahaya was reluctantly pulled from the Greek then to the Roman then through the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean arts. Furniture from the Neoclassical period was inviting to Rikuo's already tired feet. Who knew walking around looking at art was so tiring? The art of the nineteenth century was a blur to Kazahaya. The Impressionists themselves seemed to be blurs and blobs of paint. The context of such imagination was lost on Kazahaya, and Rikuo had no problem pulling him from Monet, Manet, Courbet, and Degas. It left only the Italian arts, the object of their mission. The darkened rooms that held the paintings had a hallowed feel. The gold-haloed Madonnas, saints, and angels looked at them with expressive and beatific eyes. Yet their aloofness and grandeur gave Kazahaya the creeps and he held onto Rikuo's arm tightly until a passing guard cocked his eyebrow at the clingy creature. Kazahaya laughed self-consciously and loosened his grip.

"I think this is the one."

"Huh?" Kazahaya looked at the paper in Rikuo's hand. The image was of a simple cup, and when compared to the display in front of them the resemblance was unmistakable. The two made another sweep of the gallery to make sure the cup was the right one. Indeed it was.

Silver and plain, but not without meaning.

"This is it alright."

"What is that other thing...what's a _paten_?"

"I dunno. Who cares? We just need to get the cup" The chalice and paten were housed on a tall column display with red velvet. A sturdy glass case imprisoned them. For any thief, the task seemed very risky. _Or stupid_, as Rikuo thought. They had just seen a guard walk by after all! Kakei had assured them that whatever method they chose to take the chalice and bring it to its destination would be the correct course of action.

"Heh. Kakei-san sure has a funny sense of humor. I mean, he can see the future, so I guess he already knows what we're going to do, so it makes sense that he can say all that."

"Yeah. So...knock it over and run?"

"Like hell?" Rikuo nodded and with a swipe of his hand, knocked the glass display over with a deafening shatter. The chalice and paten fell to the ground. Kazahaya swiped the chalice up before it had a chance to roll away. The Madonnas around him seemed to judge this sacrilegious act. Angels swarmed around Kazahaya. They ripped themselves from the canvases and wooden panels leaving slivers of gold and pearly paint floating through the air like confetti. White, eagle-like wings turned black and crooked. Feet became talons and clawed at Kazahaya's face mercilessly. The boy cried out but couldn't move. He fell to the ground and landed on black soil that instantly started to suck him in. A saint with a sword and a halo stepped from a painting and swathed a path through the succubus angels. Finally, Kazahaya's savior! But, it was not meant to be, for the saint took to devouring the fallen creatures. He was joined by his kind who smelled the blood of the damned.

The earth had Kazahaya to his neck. The pressure was suffocating. Something was holding his feet and pulling him in. He cried from the sharp nails digging into his ankles. What was left of the angelic demons pulled at his hair and whispered in a hellish language his fate...to be damned like them.

_Agnus Dei..._

_Agnus Dei..._

_Lamb of God..._

Kazahaya let out a horrific scream as the ground finally sucked him into a crushing void.

"Kaza! Wake up! KAZAHAYA!" Rikuo shook the unconscious boy in his arms as he ran from the museum. Guards were on his heels. He sprinted down the long stairs, nearly tripping several times, but eventually he hit the sidewalk and ran as far as his legs could carry him. Kazahaya wasn't nearly as light as he looked and he bobbed heavily with each hard jog. The hand holding the cup was clenched so tight that the knuckles were white as snow. When Rikuo thought he'd put enough distance between himself, the guards, and the police certain to follow, he started looking for a place to hide. Bystanders were gawking at the tall creature that had passed them as a blur. He ran until he found a little alley between two buildings. Rikuo hoped it would have a back street, but it didn't. He went in as far as he could and propped Kazahaya against the cool red bricks of the wall.

_Fuck, fuck, FUCK!_ Rikuo thought. _Don't...DON'T let Kaza touch the cup! _as Kakei instructed._  
_

"Okay, let go of the cup Kaza." Rikuo tried to pry the cup from his fingers, but it wouldn't budge. The fine silver stem could have bent with the monstrous power emanating from Kazahaya's body. Rikuo could taste something wicked in the air. The smell of dirt and blood. Something acrid washed through the alley like a spring breeze. Rikuo looked up. He gasped and panted. He had to get back to the drugstore. He didn't care about the pressure in his lungs or the ache in his legs; he just threw Kazahaya over his shoulder and ran again with the dead weight.

Green Drugstore never seemed so far away.

"KAKEI!" he yelled as he burst through the door. "SAIGA!" Saiga and Kakei both ran from the office to meet the frantic boy. Saiga took Kazahaya.

"He touched the cup, yes?" Kakei said with a grin and a laugh.

"I don't see..." Rikuo took a gasp of air "...what's so funny...about this."

"Oh, Kaza will be fine. Don't worry."

--

Kakei's definition of "fine" was not living up to what Rikuo considered to be "fine."

_In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen._

Kazahaya lay like death on his bed.

_...enemies are scattered and those who hate Him flee before Him...so the wicked perish at the presence of God..._

_...the mercies of the Lord may quickly come to our aid, that thou mayest seize the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan and that having bound him, thou mayest cast him into the bottomless pit, so that he may no more seduce the nations..._

The priest from the Church made gestures in the form of a crude cross over Kazahaya's body.

_We beseech Thee, hear us..._

Holy water landed like fresh dew on Kazahaya's unholy white skin.

_Amen..._

Saiga swore he saw the figure of pale ghosts float away like hot steam.

A hiss from Kazahaya's mouth, and then, silence.

--

Kazahaya felt his eyes roll back in his head. It was the first painless sensation he could remember since the day began--even though his brain told him most of the day had been relatively painless.

He wanted to see, his lids refused to open, yet in his mind he could see very clearly the trip to the museum and the point at which he and Rikuo had decided to steal...

_I touched it._

Rikuo watched Kazahaya's eyelids flutter with a consciousness that had been coming and going all night. He looked over at the old priest talking with Kakei. The Father, as Kakei called him, had been American but had lived in Japan for many decades and had known Kakei for many years. All the strange things the Father said over Kazahaya still echoed in Rikuo's mind. The words were sacred and left the room in which Kazahaya lay somber, dark, and chill. Whatever came from the chalice was apparently returned. The object was wrapped in simple white linen and locked in a cherry box at the Father's side. He occasionally laid his old wrinkled hand upon the glossy wood finish with a frown on his face, a passing emotion. When Kazahaya awoke he said he _might _explain things, but Rikuo wasn't sure if he really wanted to know.

It was only a side job anyway.

By the time Kazahaya woke the Father had left with his cherry box.

He was groggy but recovered once some cold water got in his stomach.

"I feel like crap," he said with a smile. "What happened, Kakei-san?"

Kakei sat on the edge of Kazahaya's bed and told him to lie back down. He put a cold cloth to his head. "You, despite my warning," Kakei grinned, "touched the chalice. It had some nasty memories and you took them all in."

"I...I do remember something. There were birds. They..." Kazahaya shook his head as he recalled memories, their latent images bubbling up like hot tar. "Oh God Kakei-san! They were eating me and pulling me down into nothingness." Kazahaya choked on a sob. "I've never been in that kind of darkness. It was cold and bitter. I could taste it in my mouth. I think it was blood and I think the birds...no...they were angels, Kakei-san, they wanted to kill me and eat me." Kazahaya put his hands to his throat where the angels had touched him.

"Kaza, it's all right. It's over." Kakei took Kaza's hands and held them gently in his own. "Now you know the power of an evil memory. The chalice was made sometime in the fifteenth century and was used in a church, but as the story goes, it was stolen and used in rituals that required human sacrifice and the invocation of demons in the form of beautiful angels. The chalice was filled with the blood of pure victims." Kakei grasped Kaza's hands harder. "It called out to its victims, 'You are the Lamb of God' to hypnotize them. The demons that entered you were simply memories of the chalice. It's strange how inanimate objects have memories like that. Do you understand, Kazahaya?" Kakei's grasp became limp. He stood and looked down at the boy sympathetically.

He said before he left the room, "I hope you learn from this what _it _will be like."

Kazahaya rolled over and pulled the sheets a little higher. The door to the room shut.

"Kaza? Are you awake?" Rikuo's voice called out.

"Yeah," he mumbled back. Kazahaya heard footsteps then the heavy sink of the bed. Rikuo lay next to Kaza and wrapped strong arms around his seemingly frail body. He wasn't weak; in fact, Rikuo would say he was stronger. Rikuo kissed the top of his head. No matter what happened, Kazahaya's hair always smelled delicious and fresh.

Rikuo chuckled. "That damn cup…I hope they melt it down."

"Yeah." Kazahaya sat up and put his small hands in Rikuo's bigger palms. "Rikuo…I want to…I mean…"

"Kaza?"

The boy was full of sorrow Rikuo felt but didn't understand. "Tell me Kazahaya."

"I …I've had some dreams Rikuo, about things I don't remember, things I don't understand, things I know I can feel but I don't want to, not this way."

Rikuo shook his head in confusion.

"I know you don't get it, Rikuo." Kazahaya suddenly gave a bright smile. "My mind works a little different, that's all. Memories of stuff are always coming and going in my brain, sometimes I can control what comes in. Things that come in, like, subconsciously stick around. I don't remember them all. Bad things stay around longer." Kazahaya ran his hands through Rikuo's dark hair. "I know I'll have dreams about today, whether I like it or not. It's no big deal."

"I had no idea." Rikuo smiled and pushed Kazahaya to the bed. He lay next to him and caressed his shoulders while covering his tender neck and hungry lips with soft, warm kisses. "Maybe you'll dream about this instead."

Kazahaya giggled when Rikuo's hair tickled his chin. "Maybe."

--

_I don't want to think about anything but you Rikuo._

_But._

_It._

_It is getting harder to ignore. My body remembered every detail while my mind was sleeping. Now my mind is waking up and my body is telling things. The power I have is able to touch inside of me and arouse my muscles and skin, forcing them to give up their secrets. It's almost like touching someone's shirt to see the memory of a heartbroken housewife or feel the cold metal of a simple cup that was used in terrible rites. _

_This is intimate because I'm me, I'm close to me. I can't escape my skin. It's telling my brain you were touched without your permission. Someone put himself inside you. It hurt but you don't remember, but I, Skin, do. _

_Let me tell you my secrets._

_Only when I know them all and put my mind and my body in one place will I be able to rest._

_I'm out touch, out of balance._

_Oh, Rikuo. It will be over soon. You won't like what I'm going to do, but I have to do it for us. I can't make love to you when my mind is constantly distracted by my stupid body. It won't shut up. Rape it screams. RAPE! Talking and screaming!_

_I have to remember that day._

_I have to before I break._

_

* * *

tbc. _


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I hope you guys will be as pleased with this chapter as I am. Finally the angst stuff ends with this chapter. It was getting annoying anyway. This chapter is dialogue and comma happy. I like commas for some reason. I'm anxious to write the consummation of Rikuo and Kaza's relationship, and this chapter is one giant step in that direction. As always, I appreciate reviews.

_The Pygmalion Effect_

chapter 7

Saiga loved the rain. He could smell it from miles away. When he was a boy in the country, he remembered how fresh the air smelled when the first sheet of water fell and mixed with the earth. Thousands of tiny meteors crashing and destroying dusty dirt sent that wonderful smell right to Saiga, just for him. In the city, the experience was not quite the same. Dirt is replaced with hot asphalt. The smell sent up from summer rain and the road is often noxious. The union makes fumes and ugly grey steam.

But there is one moment, right before the rain hits the ground, that Saiga can smell the pure water.

Kakei was making coffee in the kitchen.

Saiga stripped their bed and remade it.

The fitted mattress sheet was too big. So were the sheets and the comforter. The pillow cases lay flat without pillows. Saiga didn't want to put his pillows into those cases. Kakei said it was silly. Didn't he just put a stranger's bed clothes on their bed?

"But I have to put my face on my pillow. It's different," Saiga explained.

The sheets were very clean and white, but the stain was there in the threads. Molecules and memories are ingrained; you can't get them out with bleach. Saiga sniffed the air. Behind the scent of Kakei's strong coffee and the lingering odor of fresh linen, he could smell the rain. In it came. It even talked to Kakei. It declined a cup of coffee. The bedroom door opened.

Kazahaya dully smiled at Saiga. He had no expression when he saw the bed; his attention was pulled away when Kakei entered the room.

"Look at the poor boy," Kakei said. He ran a hand through Kazahaya's hair. "He's been running errands for me all day and he's soaked to the bone."

"It's okay. I like the rain." Saiga grunted and Kakei snapped a serious reprimand.

"Now Saiga-san," Kakei teased (his teases and punishments were often the same) as he appraised Saiga's bed-making skills. "We can't help that the bed is the wrong size. This will have to do, and honestly it will not make a difference. Kaza-kun, go dry yourself, get something warm in you, and come right back. Rikuo will be gone for two hours at least so it's best we get this done as soon as possible." Kazahaya nodded and left the room. He frowned at the look Saiga was giving him.

When Kakei was sure Kazahaya was out of earshot, he turned on Saiga.

Sharply he said, "I know you don't approve of this, but don't make it harder than it is."

Saiga cut the air with his hand. "This is…_insane_!"

"Then don't be here! I can handle this myself. Leave."

"You act like a child sometimes Kakei." Saiga slammed the door behind him. With shaking hands he made a cup of coffee. Lots of sugar. It wouldn't calm his nerves. He stood at the kitchen counter and stared at the white tiles and the black grout. Kakei wanted the grout black because he wouldn't have to clean it as much.

"I'm sorry, Saiga." Kakei's soft whisper floated to Saiga's ear just as suddenly as warm arms enveloped his waist. Their fights were short and the makeup fast. Kakei buried his face into Saiga's strong back. He knew his lover hated this, and so did he, but it was something Kazahaya needed.

Saiga repeated something Kakei had said a week earlier.

"What Kaza needs, Kaza gets. Remember?"

A sigh was Kakei's answer.

"This…this is all for his sake." Saiga spun around and looked down at Kakei. His eyes were glossy from the glare of his glasses. "Are you ever going to tell him why?"

Kakei grinned. "Maybe. For now we'll just keep it to ourselves."

--

Kazahaya wanted to hurry. He slipped on warm, dry clothing as quick as he could. The mirror reflected a boy who looked like he just stepped out of the shower and was preparing for a normal day. Maybe he was going on a date with a lover, maybe he was getting ready for work. If any of that were true, Kazahaya would count himself lucky.

In reality, it was the end of the day and his so-called lover was miles away doing busy work to get him as far away from the drugstore as possible. Kazahaya thought, _I'd rather be working than preparing for this._

Thinking about it made his head hurt.

When he started to dry his hair, his hands slowed. The towel barely moved over strands of dripping gold hair. The mirror swirled and time seemed to stop.

_I…I don't know if I can do this_, Kazahaya thought, _but if I don't my mind and my body will continue to react against each other. Who knows what will happen?_

Kazahaya never managed to completely dry his hair. He trudged downstairs to Kakei and Saiga's apartment to finish what his rapist started months earlier.

The disconnect, the sever between his logical mind and his unthinking body.

"You are feeling calm, Kaza-kun?" Kakei led the boy into the bedroom. He only nodded. Saiga was standing by the bed with his arms crossed tightly. The crinkles in his jacket were mad and jagged. His jaw was set firm. If he was looking into his eyes, Kazahaya wouldn't know. He only saw black sunglasses fitted on an unsure face.

Kakei motioned at the bed.

Kakei felt shame now, not for himself, but for Kazahaya. Would he feel shame afterwards? Would this inevitable violation feel as deep as the physical touches experienced during the day and night? Is the mind capable of making memories seem so real? Kakei knew these were stupid questions. The answers were so obvious. Kazahaya had proved several times that the mind is capable of making the body feel what it wants.

Why else had he lost himself in visions?

Kazahaya lay on the bed. The sheets quivered underneath him.

_It's just me shaking_, he thought.

He said to Kakei and Saiga, "Sometimes they don't want to give up their memories. I'll have to force…" The word force made him stumble. _Force_. _Force_. _Force_. "…it might take a while," he finished with a tremble. Saiga made an awkward gesture with his hand towards the bed.

"Can I sit?" Kazahaya had never heard such a nervous tremor come from Saiga. Kazahaya wanted to say yes, but this was something he had to do alone.

"I can't have any distractions, Saiga-san. I might pick up on your presence." _And your emotions_. Kazahaya smiled as a lock of damp, golden hair fell across his face. Saiga's breath hitched. He saw something cross Kazahaya's face as the hair came to a rest. The dull glow of the lamp shimmered in Kazahaya's unblinking eyes. Pupils dilated, irises turned into hard facets of unwavering focus…focus not on Saiga, but focus inward.

The vision had come quite suddenly like a summer rain.

Kazahaya expected it, saw the clouds pregnant with rain, but he could never really tell when their grey load would pop. Every corner of the room was cloudy like gauze. He could see an outline…Saiga looming like a guard. With a third eye, ever perceptual, he saw Kakei in a white shadow. The lamp and nightstand to his right shimmered with _slow_ light. Each ray of light, not one whole thing, but infinite molecules of radiance moved with the speed of his human vision. The sound of their ricochet as they hit the walls and each other was a silence so deep that the blood pounding in his head sent out little ripples of vibration. The beat deflected the light away from him and he wondered if he was in darkness if these little lights couldn't touch him.

A more pressing thought entered his mind. Where is the vision? It never took this long…

What is this formless place?

_A transition? Could this be the place between visions?_

Kazahaya saw the white room throb as he tried to pull himself away.

A thousand mental hands reached out to Kakei and Saiga.

He could not touch them.

A soft whisper, like the exhale of breath entered Kazahaya's mind suddenly. Her voice was tender and filled his body to the point of overflowing. It breathed through his pores.

"Kazahaya. My Wind."

He asked fearfully, _Who is it? Who's there?_

"Have you already forgotten my voice, brother?"

_Kei? Kei! Where are you? _

"I am here. I am…everywhere."

Kazahaya thought with a sob, _I can't see you_.

"You don't have to see me. I'm here my precious, _precious_ Kazahaya."

Like it had done with his body, Kei's voice was now filling the room to bursting. Each syllable was like a bell, a sacred sound. Warmth washed over Kazahaya's skin, what he could feel as his mental skin; the sensation calmed his hard thumping heart to nearly stopping. His mind swam with the lack of blood, but he perceived it as falling asleep. The tiny rays of light in the strange room floated around him now. He remembered a pond…images of strange, almost meaningless things came to him.

_You remember that little pond we had…_

"The one with minnows. They were happy fish."

Kazahaya smiled. _I feel like I'm floating in all this light. Kei, where am I? Where are you? Are you—?_

"This is not where you belong. You should go back to your love."

_I can't go back Kei. If you can see in my mind—_

"Yes, I know. I have rescued you from that fate."

_My mind and body are messed up. I have to remember or I'll die!_

Kei's twinkling laughter cut through the room. "You won't die, Kaza. It is painful for the mind to be out of order with the body, but don't fear it for death. I fear for your sanity—"

Kazahaya growled in frustration, _If it's my sanity…it's the same Kei! I'll go crazy! Let me remember, it won't be so bad._

"No, but what about Rikuo?"

_Rikuo_.

"You love him?"

_I…I love him? I don't know yet._

"He is thinking of you right now. He's coming back for you. _He_ _knows_."

_I don't understand._

"I'm only here to stall, dear brother." Kei's voice was suddenly becoming very small. Her whispers were taking the light. Dull grey was replacing the golden white. Kazahaya's heart stopped beating and what was left of the light rushed into his body with the abandon of stardust being sucked into a black hole.

_Kei don't leave me_.

"You are strong and you'll be fine. When you wake, your mind and body will be at peace."

Kazahaya felt his eyes begin to absorb the growing darkness.

_Kei…no…_

"I love you forever. You haven't disappeared with the wind…"

Her voice vanished.

Kazahaya was raised up from the darkness by gentle hands. He had seen nothingness for so long and too many bright lights, so when his eyes opened—his real human eyes—he relished the familiar glow of a simple light bulb in a lamp. A little jog to his body shook him awake.

"Kazahaya." Rikuo's somber voice came to Kazahaya immediately and when the fuzziness of the strange vision left him, he could see Rikuo with perfect clarity.

Kazahaya smiled widely and threw his arms around Rikuo. "Oh, Rikuo."

"I leave you for one second and you get into trouble." Rikuo squeezed Kaza tightly.

Saiga cleared his throat. "Eh…maybe you two would like some privacy?"

"But what did you see? I didn't sense anything—" Kakei had come to Kazahaya's side with a frantic expression. Even his glasses were skewed.

"I didn't see anything. Well, I saw a lot of white light. I heard my sister's voice. She told me that I didn't have to do it, that I was going to be okay. What does it mean?"

Kakei thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Perhaps we should wait and see if your mind and body decide they want to get along and play nice." Kazahaya smiled and laid his head on Rikuo's shoulder. "I feel a little tired."

"Rikuo why don't you take Kaza up to his bed." Rikuo hefted the light boy in his arms, quite unnecessarily. Kazahaya stifled a giggle for his embarrassment. He wasn't that tired, but knowing Rikuo was taking initiative in his well-being pleased him. Saiga chuckled to himself when he and Kakei were alone. Kakei frowned and began stripping the bed.

"Aw come on, Kakei, don't be so pouty."

"I'm not being _pouty_. This frustrates me. Kazahaya was supposed to have a vision of the rape. It doesn't make any sense." White sheets fell to the floor carelessly. Kakei would have burned them right there if he had the choice. Saiga recognized the look of a man who was angry with a situation over which he had no control, and when Kakei wasn't in control, he was indeed "pouty" and very unpleasant to be around.

"Eh…I'll go start dinner." Saiga sighed a breath of relief once he was in the kitchen.

_Hope Kaza and Rikuo are having it better than us tonight._

--

Rikuo gently tossed Kazahaya on his bed. The boy let out an "oof!" and a giggle.

"You scared me tonight." Kazahaya stopped laughing.

"Saiga told me what you guys were planning tonight. I was waiting."

"Rikuo, I—"

"No! You let me finish." Rikuo stood over Kazahaya like a great judge. He pointed a finger at the accused shrinking into the bed. The last time Rikuo pointed a finger at him, Kazahaya had slapped him, but not this time.

"I thought maybe you had enough sense or at least some respect to listen to me." Rikuo let his hand fall to his side. "But…I had a dream last night about Tsukiko. She told me not to worry about you, that you could make your own decisions. I trust what she tells me, whether or not it was her or just my mind playing tricks on me. I have to trust that you know what _you_ need." Rikuo pulled Kazahaya to him. "I can't always be around to protect you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Rikuo." Kazahaya felt a sob coming on.

"It's alright. Hey, don't cry." Rikuo brushed away a tiny tear. He kissed the wet trail it made with tender lips. "You're going to be fine, right? You trust what your sister says?"

"I do. She said saved me from that vision. I hope she did." Kazahaya looked into Rikuo's eyes, dark and heavy with too many worries about his lover.

"If she did, Rikuo, save me from seeing _it_ again, then I'll be free to feel what I want without…humiliation."

"You never told me you felt that way."

"I was afraid to tell you."

"Never be afraid to tell me anything."

"Anything?"

_Anything…_

--

Another day in the life of Rikuo and Kazahaya at Green Drugstore. It was mundane but they were terribly happy because they were together. Kakei grinned as he walked by with a box in his hand.

"Going to the trash," he said casually. Rikuo shrugged.

"I didn't think someone could be so happy taking out garbage," he mumbled.

"Oh, but it's no ordinary trash Rikuo!" Saiga appeared out of nowhere with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and gave Rikuo a good jab to the arm. "You know," he whispered in Rikuo's ear, "it's been a week since Kazahaya had that vision…I mean…didn't have the vision he thought he was going to have. Kakei's chunking those sheets."

"You don't have to whisper behind my back Saiga-san."

Not at all bothered with being caught gossiping, Saiga yelled, "Hey! Kudo's getting laid tonight!" Saiga laughed noisily and picked Kazahaya up and spun him around in a playful hug.

"Saiga-san! People could be in the store."

"Nah. I always look for innocent ears before I say offensive stuff. Heh, look at your cheeks. They're as red as cherries. Speaking of cherries—"

"Saiga, tease him later, he has work to do." Saiga gave Kazahaya's shoulder a good, friendly squeeze as he followed Kakei into his office.

The deed was done. In a days time the sheets would be in the dump and forgotten.

Kazahaya had been spared reliving the rape by his sister. A whole week had passed and his body quit telling his brain that something bad had happened. Phantom pains disappeared and dark dreams that wouldn't normally haunt an innocent mind gave way to more important things: Rikuo.

Kazahaya giggled when he and Rikuo were alone stocking the shelves. "Saiga-san can be pretty funny." He said it to himself more than anyone, but Rikuo took the opportunity to push himself against his back. He whispered hotly in his ear, "Unless you want to fulfill his little prophecy."

"T-tonight?"

"Is it what you want?" Rikuo boldly reached his hand around and grabbed the object of Kazahaya's release. Rikuo had touched him before but never with such teasing. He massaged between Kaza's legs, arousing a pert erection that was cut down when the bell above the door chimed a warning that it time to stop groping. The chatter of girls came around the corner. They found Rikuo on one side of the aisle and Kazahaya occupied at the end. Each teenager's eye appraised the delicious bodies of both boys. It was like choosing between a juicy steak and an equally delicious juicy steak.

Rikuo and Kazahaya rolled their eyes at the approaching sharks.

Just another day in the life of a Green Drugstore employee.

* * *

tbc.  



	8. Chapter 8

_AN_: The End! Thanks to all my reviewers, every single one of you, for making my first Legal Drug story so successful. It only took me forever and a day to finish, and thankfully the story ends on a very happy note!

--

The Pygmalion Effect

Chapter 8

--

Whenever the wind blew, Kazahaya thought of his sister. He had not disappeared so easily, like dust and dead leaves. His sister had feared for him, why, he wasn't quite sure. Her appearance in the vision wasn't something strange. She came every once in a while, even in his dreams and always in his thoughts. What was she doing right now? What was she thinking? Her powers extended to places where they were needed, and so, she was never confined like a bird like Kazahaya had.

Trapped and lonely in a hellish Eden.

Her soul was as free as the wind, and so, Kazahaya forgot to worry about her. He had found his way into the arms of Rikuo and figured that his life couldn't get any worse when his big, possessive boyfriend was around.

Really.

Really, really…not.

A pressing worry, plagued him. He worried so hard that it made him sick.

Saiga wasn't helping, Kakei only smiled, and the one person who might have offered some solace was the cause of his trepidation.

Kazahaya spent restless evenings with thousands of butterflies in his stomach. He waited for the inevitable hand to pull him to bed, lure him with kisses, and finally trap him at the point of no return. Kazahaya waited and waited, but Rikuo only made dinner and talked to him. They kissed a little and went to bed. Kazahaya was sure Rikuo would initiate the sex, but as the days passed, Kazahaya wondered if he should go ahead and jump Rikuo's bones (so to speak). Unfortunately, he didn't know how to go about the whole thing and he let his horniness wash away and assumed that Rikuo would eventually take the lead as he always had in their blooming relationship.

So, Kazahaya waited and worried. The more he thought about "it" the more he wanted "it." The curiosity was getting to him. Cold showers conflicted with Rikuo's touches. He couldn't, no wouldn't, didn't know how! He didn't know how to tell Rikuo (in less simpler words) to just do it and get it over with.

Kazahaya groaned out loud. His eyes darted around quickly to see if anyone had heard the crude noise. Sighing, he continued to work on his aisle, stocking various things like he always did during the work day. Rikuo was off on a small side job and Kakei was in his office. The customers were thin today and Kazahaya relished the solitude that gave him time to think.

"Was that...longing I heard from your pretty lips?" Kazahaya dropped a bottle of aspirin as Saiga snickered and patted him on the back heartily. "What's wrong boy? Spook ya?"

"Saiga-san!" Kazahaya's hand held his heart.

"Sorry kid. You looked like you were in some deep thought." Kazahaya turned back to his work.

"Yeah, well, I was."

"Thinking about Rikuo?"

There was an uncomfortable pause. "Yeah." Kazahaya's hand shook as he tried to place bottles of pills on the shelf. Saiga waited patiently as he waited to hear what was in Kazahaya's heart. His whole body screamed uncertainty. Finally Kazahaya asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away kid." Kazahaya turned and sheepishly looked up into Saiga's sunglasses. The black reflective lenses made a blurry reflection. He didn't want to look at that so he looked away.

"Rikuo and I have been...well, we haven't been, um, yeah." Kazahaya's pale cheeks blushed fiercely and his throat suddenly died. He feared he would never be able to speak again for fear of the words coming out of his mouth. He almost felt his feet move like they wanted to run away with the rest of his body just tagging along, but Saiga was already saying "Oh, I see," and rubbing his chin in a clichéd and unnecessary sign of thought. Kazahaya knew he was doing it to pretend "as if" he didn't know the answer to his horribly unasked question.

"So you guys haven't done it yet." Saiga leaned in and whispered in Kazahaya's ear, "Have you tried asking him?"

"W-what?" Saiga chuckled.

"He's playing you. Making you squirm. You're the uke and he's the seme, but see, he's trapped you in a game of cat and mouse. You're the mouse and he's the cat, but he wants the mouse to eat the cat...see?"

"..." Kazahaya's mouth was agape. His lips were parted ever so deliciously. If Rikuo were here (Saiga guessed) he'd be all over his pretty boy.

"Okay, let me explain it less stupidly. Rikuo always kisses you right?"

Kazahaya nodded yes.

"Do you ever initiate kisses?"

He thought for a moment and surprisingly, he said no, he'd never actually started a kiss.

"See, Rikuo wants you to kiss him for once. If you guys haven't slept together yet, maybe it's because Rikuo knows you aren't ready if you can't even give him a kiss on your own. It's probably not a conscious thing he's doing, but it might be something to consider."

--

Not conscious? Try completely methodical and manipulative. Rikuo was, as Kazahaya already knew, very patient, and now he knew the game had begun in earnest. Rikuo would smirk, kiss him on the mouth and leave it at that to go read the paper. The kiss on the mouth gradually moved to the corner of his lips and then to his cheek. God, Kazahaya's mouth wanted so much more but he was embarrassed to reach out and grab Rikuo like some love-sick, clingy creature. When they slept, and it was often in the same bed, they held each other tightly and touched each other intimately.

Rikuo changed that as well. Touches were stopped right at the moment of pure pleasure. He was pulling Kazahaya deeper into the game; Kazahaya felt that he was being baited only to be caught by a monster with a devilish smile.

Saiga sure had great insight.

When it was all becoming too much to handle, Kazahaya decided that his pride and embarrassment were very small prices to be paid for Rikuo's love.

--

Rikuo knew something sinister was being planned when Kazahaya made sushi for dinner. He usually cooked things that either took five minutes to make on the stove or things that he could throw in the oven and leave for a while (only to remember there was something in there before it burned).

Rikuo swallowed a bite and said, "This is really good, Kaza." He smiled when the comment lit up Kazahaya's face.

"Really? Really good?"

"Yeah. Did it take you long to make?"

"Uh, not really. I enjoyed making it."

Sushi, among other things. Suddenly Rikuo was served chocolate cake for dessert. It was dripping with chocolate sauce so sweet that even Rikuo's accustomed teeth hurt from the sugar. Each bite, better than the last, sent waves of saliva down his throat. He felt he would explode if he ate one more piece but he managed to force down a few more precious tastes before his stomach absolutely refused more. Kazahaya seemed utterly pleased that Rikuo was enjoying his cake; he proceeded to clear away the table as Rikuo licked his fingers like a kitten.

Rikuo slipped behind Kazahaya as he did the dishes and wrapped his arms around his waist.

He whispered in his ear, "What are you doing?"

Kazahaya giggled at the tickling sensation of Rikuo's breath. "Doing dishes, duh."

"Hmm. Why don't you do them later?"

"Because." Kazahaya kept his hands and focus on the suds in front of him.

"Are you trying to avoid me?"

"I'm not avoiding you. You're right behind me Rikuo."

"Do the dishes later, okay? I want some more dessert." Rikuo nuzzled Kazahaya's sweet neck and tasted him quickly with a small kiss.

"I thought you were full. You'll be sick if you eat more."

"I want you for dessert," Rikuo replied. The tiny smooch turned into an open-mouthed suck, kiss, and bite at the same time. He made no gentle movements and trailed his lips from neck to ear, to a little exposed shoulder and back around again. The dish Kazahaya held dropped into the sink; his knees almost gave when Rikuo grabbed between his legs and pressed him hard against the counter.

Rikuo's voice rasped so deeply that the sound sent a shiver up Kazahaya's spine.

He said simply, "Now" to accentuate his desire.

"A-ah Rikuo, not in the kitchen." Rikuo spun Kazahaya around and ignored his wet soapy hands. The slight quiver in his voice put a happy smirk on Rikuo's face. He didn't want Kazahaya to be afraid, but the nervousness would make this really fun.

"Why not in the kitchen?" The smaller boy smiled and said that he didn't want his first time to be on the kitchen table. Kazahaya told Rikuo, very defiantly, to let him go so he could finish the dishes.

With a quick, devious smirk, he added, "And I want to take a quick shower."

--

Rikuo lay in bed and tried to read the newspaper. He flipped the pages without taking a glance at the words or pictures. He twitched angrily when Kazahaya came in the room and lazily sat on the edge; his eyes and body were indifferent to the man staring at him with undisguised desire. He tussled his damp hair with his fingers and released the intoxicating odor of berry scented shampoo.

"You said," Rikuo started, "that you were taking a quick shower."

Kazahaya sighed. "I decided to take a long, hot bath instead." Rikuo mumbled something under his breath and tossed the paper on the night stand. Kazahaya flopped on his back and stared at the ceiling, the little patterns he saw swirled and led his eyes around and around hypnotically. He actually felt a little tired and he could have fallen asleep right there had Rikuo not jarred him awake with a soft nudge.

"Hmm?" Rikuo positioned himself above Kazahaya and blocked his view of the patterned ceiling.

"Are we going to do this?" he asked.

"Do what?" Kazahaya asked innocently. Rikuo smirked and kissed his nose.

"Whatever you want."

"I want to go to sleep, Rikuo." Rikuo watched Kazahaya's lids flutter dangerously.

"R-really?" Rikuo rarely stumbled over his words. Kazahaya smirked and rolled on his side and sighed deeply, rather melodramatically.

"Yes," he said, with another sigh, "I'm so tired. Making all that food just wore me out...and the hot bath."

"Yeah, cooking can be tough." The flat tone in his voice was evidence that he wasn't convinced, and he added with a poke, "Come on Kaza don't go to sleep yet."

Is it my imagination, Kazahaya thought, or does Rikuo sound desperate? Wow, he is desperate, he's poking me!

Poke, poke, poke. "I know you're awake Kaza and I don't know what kind of game you're playing but I'm really, really…really…"

"Horny?" Kazahaya finished the obvious end and flipped over to look Rikuo in the eyes, his gaze so intense that Rikuo was taken aback at the abnormally forward behavior.

"Oh..." _Eh?_ Rikuo thought stupidly. Kazahaya relished Rikuo's expression as it turned from surprise to a focused lust. The boy was easily amused and let out a soft chuckle as Rikuo took initiative and rolled over his very, very, soon-to-be lover. Rikuo looked into Kazahaya's eyes and knew there would be no going back. He was already too hard and hot, too in love, and too afraid to let the moment go. Rikuo felt his rock hard erection push down onto Kazahaya's on its own, it knew what it wanted. In that touch, the tip jerked as it itched for movement and validation that this was real. He licked his lips when Kazahaya gasped at the contact. His pretty, pretty eyes widened when Rikuo sought out the private place between his legs. Rikuo heard Kazahaya whisper his name as Rikuo pulled back his hand and placed it properly on the actual flesh. He had never touched Kazahaya's body like this before, and the boy under him, truly a virgin despite the rape, inhaled and exhaled whimpers with each gentle up and down palming of his cock.

A little groan was jerked from Kazahaya's lips too soon. Rikuo had known he would try to keep himself modest during the orgasm, pathetic as it was...then he reassured himself that when they were properly coupled, he would make more than little moans come from Kazahaya's lips.

The crude thought slipped from Rikuo's mind when his lover twitched uncomfortably under him.

A flush had settled on his cheeks. Embarrassment? Maybe a little. Kazahaya couldn't keep eye contact with the boy who had just jerked him off. Rikuo smirked and kissed him on the cheek. He pulled his hand from Kaza's pants and kept the creamy ejaculate in his hand. Rikuo quickly escaped to the bathroom and washed the pearly stuff from his fingers. He hurried back to bed and found Kazahaya sitting up on the headboard with a dull look on his face. Rikuo thought very suddenly that he shouldn't have left the bed so quickly after such an attack. Knowing Kazahaya, he probably thought Rikuo found him inadequate or that he had gone to the bathroom to jerk himself off.

_Yeah, thinking that he couldn't do it for me_, thought Rikuo.

"What's with that look?" Rikuo asked casually as he sat on the bed. Kazahaya sighed and said nothing, but he did turn his eyes to Rikuo. They were calm and focused.

"You're not having a vision are you?" Rikuo waved his hand in front of his face.

"Wha--no. What are you talking about?" Kazahaya knitted his brows.

"You just looked a little out of it."

"Oh." Another blush crept up Kazahaya's cheeks. "I was only thinking about...it."

"Sex?"

"No. What you just did." Kazahaya went mute and he swallowed thickly to prepare for the next words, "I liked it," he said in a dark whisper.

These were not the words of an embarrassed virgin.

Kazahaya said quickly, "I want to do it to you." His fingers twitched in anticipation.

Rikuo smirked. "I bet you do…"

--

end.


End file.
